The Broken Looking Glass
by SpaceHobos
Summary: WCMI inspired: Alice ended his pursuit, but he never gave up. Now his friend brings news that will change everything.
1. Chapter 1

All Characters belong to the amazing artists and writers of **When Curiosity Met Insanity** (curiousinsanecomic on tumblr. Seriously, go read it.) Criticism of all kinds are welcome. Please enjoy.

The story takes place after WCMI Part 27 - A Certain Understanding Pt 3.

* * *

 _Belle stifled a disappointed sigh and shook her head. "Is that really what you want, Alice?"_

Alice pressed her lips into a hard, thin line. It was good advice, pushing the ardent Hatter away, protecting herself from heartbreak. It was practical, and it was necessary. But that small ache in her chest didn't go away, no matter how many days had passed. Alice walked alone in the dawn of a quiet morning. It was calm and still, but hardly peaceful here. It seemed as if the entire world was holding its breath, waiting expectantly.

The bookstore came into view. Belle would be arriving not long after her. A few precious moments to savor before the awkwardness of her best friend's disapproval and worry would begin to fill the building. The books that gave her so much pleasure before no longer distracted her from the quiet sighs and the quick glances away from, not only Belle's eyes, but everyone else's. Alice shoved the key roughly in the lock and counted to ten.

 _Time. It will all go away in time._

She walked inside and made herself busy with the morning tasks. There were book orders to fill and new merchandise to catalogue. Busy work pushes out unwelcome thoughts of… Him.

Her breath escaped suddenly with a hiss. A papercut. How could she be so careless?

The sound of the bell chiming at the door heralded Belle's arrival and her bright greeting followed. The sounds of the town waking rolled in with her and were just as quickly shut out by the door closing. Pleasantries exchanged, the two got to work, neither fooled by the cheerful banter. The tension still hung in the air, thick enough to breathe in the small bookshop, where the lingering scent of aging paper and binding leather, once a favorite smell, was slowly becoming cloying and sharp.

This was unbearable.

"Oh? This is addressed to you." Belle said, breaking the silence. She held up an envelope. Alice opened it and found a bookmark inside.

"Does it say who its from? There's nothing else written on it."

"Couldn't you tell?" Alice replied with a sigh. "There are tea stains on it."

The bookmark was hand-woven with a beautiful design of a cricket on it. Alice felt that ache return. If she were to be honest with herself, it had never left. She closed her eyes and remembered. It was good advice.

….

 _Reginald L. Theophilus the Third was at a loss. Her words still floated in the air, stinging and pricking like tiny darts. The walk home and remaining night was the longest he had ever had, but somehow the world was still right-side-up when he woke._

The days turned into weeks. He saw her in passing, but she had never left his thoughts. She began to appear in his work: A golden thread the color of her hair in a gentleman's bowler, a periwinkle button the color of her eyes, mistakenly sewn onto a red bolero. He carefully checked his handiwork repeatedly to make sure she hadn't invaded any of his other works.

"GET OFF MY HATS!" He yelled, startling a customer, who quickly shuffled out the door in fear.

He fell roughly into a chair and sunk his face into his hands. He felt wrung out. Defeated.

"Its just not the same…" He said aloud to no one. "The days are grey without her now. How long do I have to wait until the doe finally comes to me?"

The shop remained silent.

"I bet she's found the bookmark by now." He mused, "I wonder if she likes it." His mouth curved into a lazy smile. "What else can I make to tempt my sweet Cricket…"

And with that, his smile faded. That small voice was back: The one that he ruthlessly crammed back into the back of his mind whenever he heard it.

 _She said that she isn't going to stay here…._

 _"I am not from here, Reginald. I was not born here, I was not raised here, and I did not intend my stay to be permanent. I am only a visitor, and you know what everyone here says about visitors."_

 _"Oh, of course. They always go back."_

 _"Yes! They always do - we always do, I should say. There has never been one who spent a lifetime here, did you know that? I don't see how I will be any different, and I have family in England, after all. So it's best that we settle this now and agree to remain friends and only friends, yes?_

The word darts were back. He swatted at the air angrily with his hand. When that didn't work, he picked up a flyswatter and began to chase them around the shop. The customers stared, as they usually did, muttering to themselves, knowingly. He paused and stared back, daring them to say anything. They wisely went back to shopping.

He spotted Ears in the doorway and waved cheerfully, word darts forgotten for the moment. His hand raised in greeting froze in place, his smile fading while fear crept into his eyes. Ears had that look on his face. His ears, already tied in a knot under his chin, framed a face that held a look of despair.

"Reg…" Ears whispered, "Alice, she's…."

Reginald was over the counter and moving before the word escaped his mouth. Like still frames of film, he saw the scene as he flew past and out the door: Customers looking dumbstruck, Ears still standing by the door, paws clenched painfully tight at his side and agony in his eyes, People outside, exchanging worried and sympathetic looks. His vision narrowed to a single spot as he ran.

"…gone."

.…


	2. Chapter 2

All Characters belong to the amazing artists and writers of **When Curiosity Met Insanity** -

* * *

Her house was there, just as he had seen it last. Her bedroom window shuttered and closed, just as she had left it. But her door was partially open. She always had her door closed and locked, he had checked… twice. Could a bear have broken in? Fear crawled in and made a home in his chest.

He charged in, eyes darting about. He grabbed an umbrella from the stand by the door and held it in front of him like a sword. He took in the scene, cataloging everything: Furniture in place, nothing on the floor, shelves untouched. Nothing to indicate a rabid bear rampage. Nothing but her absence.

"Reginald, sit down." Belle was on the couch, looking up at him with weary, tear-dulled eyes. Beside her was a police officer, who looked properly uncomfortable and sympathetic.

He walked over cautiously, still clutching the umbrella in front of him, eyes scanning the room. "Where is she…?" He whispered.

The police officer cleared his throat and straightened his back, trying and failing to look fierce and important. "She appears to have left Wonderland." He said with a matter-of-fact tone. "And there is nothing," he said sternly while looking at Belle, "to indicate that she left against her will."

"She couldn't have!" Belle cried with a barely controlled sob, "She would have told me. She would have taken her things! She wouldn't just leave like that!" Her eyes met Reginald's, pleading for understanding. "She wouldn't have left without saying goodbye!"

The umbrella slipped out of Reginald's nerveless fingers. "She's really gone?" he whispered, looking to Belle for reassurance. "She couldn't be… I don't believe it!" He fought the sudden lump in his throat and charged up the stairs to her room, crying out her name in fear and desperation. Sounds of him lifting furniture and slamming doors rocked the small cottage. It was too much for Belle and she broke down into fresh tears.

The sounds from upstairs ceased suddenly. The police officer and Belle exchanged a quick glance before hurrying up the stairs, praying that he wouldn't have done anything foolish, like throw himself out the window.

The dust from his search was still in the air, dancing in the late afternoon sunlight from the hastily opened window, casting the room in a fuzzy glow. The Hatter looked lost and out of place in the now disorderly room, still dressed in his brown haberdashery apron and his white hair tied back. He was standing next to the only untouched pieces of furniture in the room: a meticulously made bed, and a small bed stand, the latter which he was staring down at. The small clock ticked steadily next to an empty water glass and a small box, filled with trinkets, all gifts from him. He slowly pulled out a small folded piece of newspaper, creases showing evidence of being carefully unfolded and refolded. His fingers trembled as he gazed upon the photo of them dancing: the image of them at that moment they last were completely uninhibited from any propriety and caution. The joy on their faces in the midst of a dance, captured forever. He tore his eyes away from the photo and gently refolded it, placing it back in her treasure box with care. He caught sight of the corner of a book underneath the pillow. He knelt and pulled out the book, smiling through unbidden tears at the sappy romantic title. Opening the book to the last page read, he froze as the cricket bookmark slipped out. Deftly catching it as it fell, he held it up, his hand wavering as he gazed at the delicate cricket pattern. The errant bookmark was placed back on its page, the book was closed and then replaced under the pillow, carefully arranged with corner peeking out. He stood slowly with his back to Belle and the Policeman.

"Reginald… are you alright?" Belle asked, breaking the silence.

"Did she leave any warning?" He whispered so low they could barely hear him.

"What?" She asked, sniffling.

"She didn't say anything? Leave a note?" Reginald asked, his voice in a soft, dangerous tone, turning his head slightly to look at them over his shoulder. "She told me she was a visitor here and that she wouldn't stay, but would she really leave it all behind like this?"

Belle swallowed her tears and lifted her chin. "No," she said firmly, "She left no note and gave no indication she was going anywhere. She left to deliver a book order and never returned."

The police officer cleared his throat again, harrumphing into his fist. "She did leave a note," he stated, "The office received a letter a few hours ago, from a Miss Alice Liddell." His hand went to his breast pocket and paused at the low growl from Reginald.

"Reginald, please." Belle whispered. "Sir, the letter?"

The man pulled a folded sheet out of his pocket and opened it to read out loud. "To whom it may concern," He read. "I, Miss Alice Liddell, of sound mind and body, hereby state my intent to leave Wonderland, with no intention to return. I leave my home and properties to—"

In the blink of an eye, Reginald was across the room, standing nearly nose to nose with the stunned officer, removing the damning letter from the police man's suddenly slacked hand. His eyes moved back and forth across the paper and took in everything, each carefully penned letter and the flourished signature at the end. After a moment, he held the letter out to Belle and she took it, unable to tear her eyes away from Reginald's face.

Reginald pinned the officer with a stare that burned with its intensity. His once merry blue eyes had turned into icy glass and his mouth was set in a forbidding frown. The police officer met his gaze with a determined one, the sweat beading on his brow was the only sign of his distress.

After an eternity, he left the room, his footfalls leaving no sound in his wake.

Belle stared after him, shocked and dazed, eyes locked on his retreating back and frozen in place until the gentle click of the front door closing was heard. She flinched, for he might as well have slammed the door off its hinges.

The officer was on the ground, rocking back and forth and shivering with muted sobs. Belle crouched down to comfort him. She was shivering herself, partially from terror that she hadn't imagined she would get from the silly Hatter. The other part…

Her breath came out in a puff of vapor. The room was freezing! She looked around in disbelief, breath hitching in horror at the ring of frost that lined the floor and coated the walls, ending with a pair of footprints where the Hatter stood.

….

Ears cautiously approached the long Tea Party table and could barely believe his eyes. After the phone call he received from a horrified Belle, he knew exactly where he would find his friend. He just never in his life expected to see this.

The table was clean and disturbingly organized, with not even a drop of spilled tea on it's cloth or merrily whistling teapot in sight. The settings were arranged with care, each saucer, teacup, and plate a painstakingly measured distance from each other, and cloned with each setting at each seat. Trembling, the March Hare pulled a chair from the table and sat down, eyeing the still figure at the head of the table.  
The Mad Hatter sat, fingers steepled beneath his chin, and his half-lidded eyes fixed on the shivering dormouse seated on his plate. Ears had never seen the tiny creature out of its teapot. They were conversing so softly that the he couldn't hear a word from where he was seated. After what seemed like an eternity, the dormouse hopped off the plate and off the table to disappear into the hedge. The chilling stare rose to settle on the Hare, who found himself unwilling to remain in it. He gulped and absently reached for a teacup. His shivering fingers missed, knocking the cup over. He cried out at the spill and the sound caught in his throat as the cup rolled over on its side, revealing the tea frozen solid in the cup.

"Ears," Reginald said, the voice almost fragile, "My Cricket was taken."

The March Hare's heartbeat rang in his ears. The air pressed down like a heavy blanket on his shoulders. The man sitting at this table was anything but the mad, myopic, love-struck Hatter that he knew. He had thought he had seen the Hatter at his worst after the whole Mary Anne affair, but this was different. This was his best friend pushed past a limit that he didn't know existed.

"H-How do you know?" Ears whimpered, hastily righting the cup back on its saucer and wishing for something, anything, to drink.  
Reginald lifted a teapot and poured hot tea into a cup. Rising from his chair, he lifted the cup and walked over to the cowering Hare. Ears frantically searched those cold, half lidded eyes for his friend and instead found a frost-lined, empty gaze. Reginald gently picked up the frozen teacup and replaced it with the cup he poured.

"Drink, Ears." He said, pulling out the nearest chair and sitting down.

Not daring to look away, Ears gulped down his tea shakily, splashing the hot liquid on his shirt. He imagined that this is what a prey animal feels like, staring down a hawk that was deciding whether or not to eat him.

Reginald huffed impatiently, a flicker of his old self returning for a second. "Will you stop that?" He hissed. "I'm not going to eat you."

"Great, and now you read minds." Ears muttered.

The arrested look that crossed the Hatter's face was so…. Reginald, that the Hare almost laughed. But the laughter got stuck somewhere around the base of his throat. The icy look was back and it was thankfully not aimed at him.

Reginald stared into the darkness of the evening. "She was taken. I know she was. She would never leave without saying goodbye. And she would never leave without saying goodbye to…. me…"

Ears felt the pang of sympathy and quickly schooled his face to remain neutral. The chase for Alice stopped being a conquest a long time ago. His friend had long since passed the point he had reached with his other paramours. For any other girl, the Hatter would have given up after a few weeks and moved on. For any other girl, he would have accepted her rejection and turned to chase yet another skirt. He had known for a while now that the sweet infatuation with the petite blonde had turned into a genuine love. And for this love, he had turned into…. This. Not for any other girl, but Alice Liddell.

Clearing his throat, Ears eyed his empty cup. Reginald obligingly refilled it.

"I have to ask, what about that letter?" he asked, sipping his tea.

Still staring into the darkness, Reginald's frown deepened. "I see you spoke to Belle." He sighed. "She wrote it, it was her handwriting to be sure, but…"

"But what?" Ears asked, his teacup forgotten on the saucer.

"Somethings not right. Something wasn't…. Alice about it." He broke the staring contest with the darkness and locked his eyes onto Ears'. "There was nothing of her in the letter, no apologies, no reason." His eyes shimmered for a moment, tears locked away in the depths. "I think she was forced to write it."

Ears carefully measured his next words, hoping with every fiber of his being that their friendship was enough to keep him from being murdered on the spot.

"What if she wasn't? What if she went back to her home?"

The words hung in the air like a fog. The Hatter was as still as an ice sculpture, his white hair framing a face that was as pale, cold and as expressionless as a freckled porcelain mask. Ears leaned forward, mentally willing him to move, cry, do SOMETHING besides sit there frozen like an unnerving statue.

"Ears, this is her home." Reginald finally murmured.

"Then what are you going to do?" Ears asked, knowing that the answer would tell him if his friend was still there or not.

"I'm going to go get her and bring her back." Reginald said, his voice clear.

Ears tipped his teacup, swirling his ice-flecked tea. With the slightest grimace on his face, he downed the tea and set the cup carefully on its saucer.

"Okay." He said, relaxed and no longer afraid. "My dear friend, where do we start?"

….

….


	3. Chapter 3

All Characters belong to the amazing artists and writers of **When Curiosity Met Insanity** -

* * *

Alice woke in a soft bed. The chamber was unusually dark, even for this time of the night. She got out of bed and padded over to the window, arms outstretched to feel her way in the darkness. Her hands reached a wall, but there was no window here.

How strange… Is this not her room?

She made her way back to the bed and felt around for a lamp or candle, anything for a bit of light.

"This isn't right." She said, "What in the world is going on?"

Her hand bumped against a candlestick in a holder, near a box of matches, much to her relief. She quickly struck the match and lit the wick, impatient to see her surroundings.

The light filled the room just enough to see a small distance around her, but it was enough.

She was back in England, in her old bedroom.

"No," she groaned. "I must be dreaming."

She pulled on a nearby robe and rushed to the door, dread and confusion choking her. She opened it and stepped out into that familiar hallway, unchanged since the night she left with her small carpetbag to go back to Wonderland. A soft glow from the end of the hallway in the direction of the stairs led her down them and to the sitting room, where her mother and father sat, as they always had, though certainly not in what seemed to be the middle of the night.

"Oh, Alice!" her mother exclaimed. "What are you doing up at this hour, dear?"

"I could ask you the same," Alice replied. "I could also ask what in the world I'm doing dreaming of being back here and not in Wonderland."

Her father chuckled at her while her mother gained that cool, stern look that Alice remembered so well. It was that No-Nonsense face. "Now really, Alice, what in heaven's name are you going on about? Wonderland? Again? Young lady, I thought you had outgrown that childish fantasy."

Alice bit back the retort that rose so easily to her lips. It would do no good, if she remembered correctly. She felt the dread gather in her belly, unsure about this being a dream, after all. It was too real, and way too accurate.

"Well," her mother sniffed, dismissing the statement with a wave of her hand. "Now that you're up, sit down here. We need to discuss business with you."

The dread flared up threateningly. She thought that she should postpone this talk by claiming to be ill. Maybe it would be more convincing if she threw up on the rug. Although, on second thought, it was looking like that was going to be a viable possibility.

"Mother, I think I need to lie down…" She started, "I'm feeling a little—"

"Nonsense." Her mother barked. "Come here right now. I will not have you avoiding this talk forever."

Alice obediently crossed the room and sat near the fireplace, at the farthest point from her parents as possible. Her mother tsked and glared at her coolly. "Your father and I have been discussing the future: your future. Its time that you settled down and started a family of your own."

And there it was, all in the open now.

"Mother, I don't think that's a—"

"Alice, ladies shouldn't think. Ladies should be obedient and quiet. Now, tomorrow we will go and fetch you a new dress from Bonham's and we will go visit Sir Brandon and his wife. Their son will be eager to meet you."

"Oh Mother, not—" She fought back her dismay and disgust for the unwelcome prospect. The man in question had absolutely no imagination! What would they do? Sit and stare at each other next to the fireplace every day for all eternity because he wasn't intelligent enough for a decent conversation? She'd rather run through the town in her night rail! Twice!

Her mother's glare pinned her to the spot. "You could do worse. The young man is rich and influential. You will have a decent household to maintain and its large enough for you to live in without even seeing your husband, if that's what concerns you."

It all came roaring back for Alice: The walls closing in on her, the air becoming to thick for her to breathe, her head spinning wildly in desperation. This is what drove her back to Wonderland. This place wasn't for people like her. She belonged with Belle, Ears, and…

"Reginald!" She cried as she rose from her seat. "I want to wake up!"

Her mother and father stared at her in mute surprise at her outburst.

"Alice, Good heavens! What has gotten into you?" Her mother cried.

"Who's Reginald?" Her father gruffed.

Alice began to pace, smacking her head with her fists, "I WANT TO WAKE UP NOW!"

The stunned silence in the room gave her pause and she opened her eyes hopefully.

Her mother still sat there, mouth open in shock, while her father, half rising from his seat, reached a hand out to his daughter, fearing that she may have gone completely insane.

Tears filled her blue eyes. "Why aren't I waking up?"

….

Reginald snapped awake from his doze. So, it was a dream then? He could have sworn he heard her calling his name.

Belle was talking with Ears in the kitchen as she stirred a pot of soup. How nice of her to come after the terrible fright he must have given her. He did a mental inventory and came to the same conclusion: A rock had made its home where his heart was. The blanket slipped off him and onto the floor. He sat up and looked up to see the two watching him grimly. They didn't have to say a word.

He had been calling her in his sleep. He had been crying her name like a man lost at sea, begging and pleading for her to come back.

"Drink this," Belle said, holding out a bowl. "You need to get something in your stomach."

The smell of the soup made him want to retch. He raised a hand to push away the bowl, but was stopped by Ears. Traitor.

"Please Reg." Ears pleaded. "It's been days."

And it had. Two days of dead ends and disappointment. They found the order of books she was on her way to deliver, pushed into a ditch. No one had seen or heard from her. When he hired a bloodhound, her scent had led them nowhere. It was as if she had vanished.

Reginald felt a flicker in his chest, like a small flame sputtering, ready to go out. If that flame went out, what would be left of him?

Belle suddenly knelt and put her hand out. Reginald sat up and shook off his lethargy in an instant. She turned and held up the dormouse to Reginald, her face questioning.

"What did you find out, my friend?" Reginald asked, carefully taking the small creature in his gloved hand.

"My brothers and sisters saw it, Hatter. Your Alice was walking on the road and was stopped by a cloaked beggar. They exchanged words and she dropped her books." The dormouse reported dutifully.

Reginald's eyes hardened. "Go on," He urged.

"Your Alice took a paper and wrote something, folding it and handing it to the beggar, then she walked into the woods, disappearing into the fog."

"Fog?" Ears whispered. "It doesn't fog here."

Reginald pulled a teapot out of his orange coat and opened it, allowing the weary dormouse to tumble inside. "Thank you, little brother" He whispered to the teapot, carefully putting the it back in his coat.

Ears and Belle exchanged a look and waited expectantly. Reginald quietly stood and straightened his coat. He walked to the door and retrieved his large hat, placing it upon his head. Stepping out into the warm evening air, he faced the northern sky.

"Cheshire Cat!" He roared into the night. "We seek your aid!"

"A very unwise choice…" a disembodied voice replied, "But I have been waiting for you to remember me, Hatter…"

A mist appeared, swirling in place and condensing into no particular shape, part of it splitting into an unmistakable white grin.

Belle and Ears gasped and looked away, not willing to make eye contact with the Cat. Reginald had no such inhibitions. Insanity was nothing new to him. He stepped forward and bowed, sweeping his hat off in a grand gesture.

"Cheshire Cat, you owe me a favor and I would like to call it in."

The misty shape rolled in place and the grin became feral. "For Alice?" the Cat mused. "You want me to go fetch your errant unrequited love? How delicious…" the words faded into cold laughter. "I thought you were smarter than that, my dear Hatter. I am a little disappointed."

"No," Reginald said, "That is not my request." His voice became soft and forbidding. "I want you to bring me to the Looking Glass."

The mist froze. With a burst of movement, the shape of a large cat emerged and launched towards Reginald's face, both unearthly eyes wide open, and the vertical slits were as narrow as threads. The Cat stared, inches away, into his eyes, the grin now barred with fangs.

"Do you know what you're doing, Hatter?" the Cat hissed.

Reginald stared back unyieldingly, the icy fury rolling out of his eyes. "You owe me, Cheshire Cat." He snarled.

The Cat's pupils widened slightly. He tumbled back into a shapeless mist, chuckling darkly. "I like that look in your eyes, Hatter. It suits you." The voice bubbled into laughter. "I'll grant your request, Hatter, and consider us square." The mist rolled, tumbling into the darkness. "You do not know what you are about to unleash, Hatter, but it worries me not." The mist paused, an afterthought hovering in the air. "Maybe it is time for you to pay your debts to _her_ , Hatter." The laughter returned, echoing through the trees.

The mist faded. Reginald slumped wearily and was caught on both sides by Ears and Belle.

"I'll take that soup now, if you don't mind, Belle." He murmured, flashing a small, very Reginald-like smile.

….

 _Alice opened her eyes and licked her torn and chapped lips. The stinging pain brought her fully awake. She was vertical, that was certain. She leaned forward and felt her forehead meet solid glass.  
With a short cry of confusion, she lifted her hand and the chain attached to her wrist shackle became taut, preventing her from bringing her hand any higher than her waist._

 _Panic set in as she struggled, finding herself completely trapped. Her feet were shackled to the surface her back was against, her cell only as wide as she could reach with her chained hands. She was in an upright, rectangular coffin with a clear glass lid, a macabre display case._

 _"No…" She breathed, feeling her throat close in terror. She frantically searched the outside for anything or anyone. All that she could see was a Victorian-style parlor, but with furniture stretched and deformed, as if it was a reflection from a carnival mirror._

 _Wonderland, then? But where, and how….?_

 _She remembered the beggar on the road. She remembered the sudden shock as the beggar blew something in her face, forcing her to breathe it in…feeling the compulsion to write a letter at their command… And that was all. Was she kidnapped? Trapped in here like a trophy in a cabinet?_

 _"No…." She panted, her breath fogging against the glass. This couldn't be real._

 _A figure in the room stood and walked to the glass. She couldn't make out their face in the hood… jacket? The person reached out and turned a dial to the side of her prison and she heard the hiss of gas being released._

 _She shrank back from the vents that opened above her head but it was too late. The pale gas was already in her mouth, in her nose… She was weakening! She gathered her breath to scream..._


	4. Chapter 4

All Characters belong to the amazing artists and writers of **When Curiosity Met Insanity**

* * *

 _"NO!"_

The sound of breaking glass and a sharp, feminine gasp shocked her awake. Her wide, terrified eyes caught sight of her sister shrinking back, hands clasped over her mouth in surprise. A tray that had just a moment ago contained a porcelain bowl of soup and a glass of water was teetering precariously on the edge of her bed stand. Alice was in her room. It was a dream, after all.

"Mathilda…" Alice cried, panting. "I'm sorry—"

"No, it's me who should be sorry," Her sister interrupted. "You were talking in your sleep and I shouldn't have—" She looked at the mess that was seeping across the hardwood floor. "I'll get someone to clean this." She rose and hurried out of the room.

Alice groaned and fell back on her pillows. First her parents, and now her sister. She'll be in an institution by the end of the week.

A servant girl rushed in with a basin and a cloth to clean up the mess. Mathilda followed, bringing Alice a fresh glass of water, which she gratefully accepted. She was parched and the cool water felt like a balm on her dry lips. She licked them to be sure that they weren't cut open like in the dream.

Mathilda picked up the chair that had fallen and sat down. Alice could smell her perfume and it brought back memories that made her smile. She had missed her sister, who had gotten married and left home years ago. What was she doing here now?

"How are you, my sister? Mother tells me that you are ill." Mathilda said, scanning her face for signs of the illness.

Alice sighed. "I'm really not. I just don't agree with their plans for me, is all."

Mathilda tilted her head slightly. "And why not? Do you not want to be married?"

Alice's hands clasped the glass tighter. "I do, one day. How is this a strange concept? If I am to be married, I want it to be to one of my choosing, that's all. I, at least, want a say in this."

Mathilda murmured sympathetically and lifted a hand to smooth Alice's golden hair back from her face. "Alice, dear, that's not how all this works. You are not as young as most ladies are when they get married. If you become a spinster, you will become a burden on your mother and father, and that's not proper at all. You are running out of time."

 _Reginald was leaning over a sink, washing his hands after he spilled ink on them. He was pestering her at work and knocked over her inkwell, catching it before it could ruin one of her precious books. Had she thanked him for saving them? No, she had chided him for carelessness. But he had smiled so mischievously that she knew it had no effect. She was staring at his hands, moving against each other, the purple-inky suds falling into the sink. Her eyes rose and caught his silly freckled face, smiling so self-assuredly at her beneath his sparkling blue eyes…_

"Alice? Where has your mind gone now?" Mathilda groaned. "Are you even listening to me?"

Alice shook the daydream out of her head.

Her sister huffed, "You see, that's what I've been talking about. You need to get your head out of the clouds. Its time you took things seriously and considered your future."

Alice sniffed, "You sound like Mother now, Mathilda." She glared at her beloved sister and frowned. "You followed that very same advice. Can you say you are truly happy?"

The blank look that crossed her sister's face told volumes. "Of course I'm happy!" She sputtered. "Why in Heaven's name would I not be?" She frowned and looked away, staring out into the distance. "I have a husband with a decent income, a large home and a household that I can call my own, and I have my children." The frown softened, becoming weak and unsure. "That's what any decent woman should want, right?"

Alice peered at her sister and searched her face. "Mathilda, who exactly are you trying to convince?"

The bald sadness that crossed her sister's eyes lanced Alice's heart. Mathilda sniffed primly and lifted her chin, all masks back in place. "Yes, I have everything I need and more. I only wish you had the same. Besides, happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy, or you can be miserable. Either way, the choice is yours. I chose to be happy with my husband, and so I am."

Alice remembered that sadness in her dear sister's eyes on that day she was jilted by her love. She thought that her sister would never recover. In those days Alice swore that she would never have her heart broken like that. She would never be subject to the same sadness and misery that stole her sister away from her and left a hollow shell in her place. It was not long after that time, her sister married her husband, eventually recovering enough to be almost herself again.

Alice's lip trembled before she could hide it by drinking from the glass in her hand. Perhaps if she married someone she didn't care about, she would be spared that horrible sadness. Perhaps she would choose to be happy. Perhaps she would forget about…

 _"My dear Cricket," He chuckled with a low, husky voice. "What in the world put that look in your eyes?" She felt herself flush and looked away. "Nothing!" She denied sharply. She backed away to the proper distance. "I just thought that miscreants such as yourself would just get the sink all dirty and make more work for me to do."  
He was still chuckling, the rascal. His eyes crinkled merrily and he reached for the towel that she held out at arm's length. "Whatever you say, my darling Cricket. Whatever you say."  
_  
Her trembling caused the water to dribble down her chin. She knew, deep down inside, that her mind may think it was a practical, good, sound idea, but her heart would never allow her to follow.

….

Reginald gratefully accepted the bundle from Belle, stowing it carefully in his pack. Ears shuffled nervously at his side, fretting and muttering as he brought yet another article of clothing for him to pack.  
"Ears, I'm not leaving for long," he said, once again. "I'm going to bring her back. It shouldn't take long."

Ears's nose twitched once, twice. "But what if you run into Bears?"

The Hatter considered it for a moment, then dismissed it. "The Cat will take me straight there." He said, putting the bear mace aside, "There's not going to be Bears where I'm going."

"Where ARE you going?" Belle asked quietly.

The Hatter paused, weariness and pain making his features older before their very eyes.

"What do you remember about Mary Anne, Ears?"

Ears trembled and looked away. "Mary Anne loved you so much, but you didn't really love her. You both were too young, and you were too wild and head-strong to be chained down like she wanted. You broke her heart one day, telling her that she bored you. So, she left, never to return. We had so many tea parties to forget about her, one which Alice attended, if I'm not mistaken. I was so Tea-drunk I don't remember..." The Hare smiled wistfully at the memory. "You felt so guilty, driving her away like that, then you just… forgot about her one day. Out of nowhere. I think you cared in your own way, once."

"Yes," Reginald whispered, searching for a thought or feeling. "You told me that she was the only girl that loved me, and I cast her aside. Those specific memories are beyond my reach right now, locked away…" He narrowed his eyes, "But it's the fog, I remember. I don't remember the trick she used, but she would always arrive and leave in fog. She had a flair for the dramatic, I believe."

Belle folded her arms across her waist and puzzled over his words. "So, you think she's back and she took Alice away?"

Reginald resumed closing his pack and sat down on his bed beside it. "When I was a small Hatter, my Mother would tell me about the Looking Glass. She said that it was an opening to another world and that it was also the barrier keeping that world out. She said, if anyone crossed it to the other side, they would find a world with no magic and no imagination. That world was a cold, uncaring place, and for that reason, the Looking Glass was locked away somewhere in Wonderland, never to be found." His eyes focused inward as he remembered, "I would search and search for the Looking Glass, spending my childhood on the quest, but never found it. I remember that Mary Anne told me that she knew where it was, because she was from that other world."

Ears frowned. "I think I remember that she wasn't from around here, but I didn't think she was from Alice's world."

"She told such stories, about Wars and Inventions… things so fantastic that they stretched the imagination." Reginald's brow furrowed as he rummaged for those memories. "But I had thought she was trying to impress me. They were just stories. I wondered if she went back through the Looking Glass when she disappeared, but I just let her stay gone. It was easier than seeing her upset like that all the time." His voice faded. "What a rotter I was. She wasn't the only one I hurt." His shoulders slumped. "Alice… doesn't deserve a rotten scoundrel like me."

"Reginald Theophilus," Belle scolded.

"The third…" Reginald whispered absently.

"That was a long time ago. You've changed since then." She huffed. "We have to figure out how to get her home so she can decide that for herself. Now tell me, what does Mary Anne have to do with Alice?"

Reginald looked up at her, silently applauding her determination. "I think that Alice was taken to the Looking Glass. Maybe it was by Mary Anne, I don't know. The fog makes me think it was her, but I do know that the Looking Glass will give us answers." He said with growing assurance. "If Alice went through, I will go and get her. How hard could it be?"

The silence that followed his words was chilling and ominous.

"I shouldn't have said that," Hatter whispered, reaching for the Bear Mace.

….

They met the Cat in the forest, at exactly six o'clock. Tea-time.

The Cheshire Cat rolled shapelessly down a tree branch, grinning at the Hatter. "Are you ready?" He laughed, "No? Well that's too bad. Destiny awaits you, Hatter."

The hatter straightened his hat and looked forward determinedly. "No tricks, Cheshire Cat. I need to get to the Looking Glass, not be stranded in the desert or in the middle of the ocean."

The Cat gasped with a hurt tone. "Why, I would never…" he grinned, hissing the last syllable between his teeth. "Besides, you would do me no good if you were late for that very important date…"

Hatter froze, confusion crossing his features, "A very important date—?"

The world exploded around him, deafening him with the roaring of wind. He saw a brief glimpse of Belle and Ears's shocked faces before he tumbled into a vortex of purple and pink, spinning and cartwheeling while the world around him melted away. He hit the floor with a breath-stealing thud.

"Hatter? What are you doing here?" A low masculine voice asked in surprise.

Reginald pushed himself up off the floor and waited for the room to stop spinning. His eyes focused on a pair of odd shoes and rough, tattered blue pants. He looked up at the skinny young man, wearing a strange sweater with a hood, obscuring his face.

"Oh? And who are you?" He asked, shuffling into a sitting position.

The young man's hands clenched at his sides, "Someone who worked way too hard to have everything ruined by a meddling Hatter." He snarled, turning away.

Reginald looked around the formal room, eyeing everything from the stretched and stunted furniture, to the garish wallpaper. In a grand fireplace at the center of the far wall, a lime green fire cast a sickly glow over the room. Above the mantle, a large mirror dominated the wall, reflecting nothing on its mercurial surface.

 _The Looking Glass._

Hatter rose to approach the Mirror, wondering if he was too late.

"Did you see a lovely young lady with golden hair pass through here?" He asked, inspecting the surface.

"Pfft, no one has been through here, yet." The young man growled. He was seated at a drawing desk, shuffling through papers, scanning each page and shoving them aside and onto the floor.

"Yet?" Reginald said, approaching the young man. "You mean she will be here?" He felt the ice begin to chill his veins. "Are you the one who kidnapped her?"

"Yeah, Old Man," said the man, distractedly. "Once I figure this out—"

Reginald had grabbed the hooded man by the front of his shirt and lifted him easily, slamming him against the wall. "Tell me," He snarled, nose to nose with the young man, frost creeping up the gathered cloth. "Where is Alice?"

The hood had fallen back slightly, revealing a thin, stubbled face and deep-set, beady eyes beneath thick brows. "Let go of me, Old Man. You don't know what you're messing with." The young man hissed. "Your stupid Alice doesn't belong here. She is ruining everything. I'm sending her back where she belongs."

The Hatter's hands clenched the cloth tighter, joints popping with the effort. "Where is she?" he growled again, ignoring the ice now crystalizing up the young man's neck.

A strange look crossed the young man's eyes. A one-sided smirk crept onto his face. "You won't ever stop me, Hatter." He whispered. "You'd have to break the Mirror first. While that mirror is whole, your Alice's days are numbered."

The Hatter dropped him with a snarl. "Then try to stop me." He growled, reaching for the chair at the desk.

….


	5. Chapter 5

All Characters belong to the amazing artists and writers of **When Curiosity Met Insanity** -

* * *

The unpleasant feeling that pooled in the base of Alice's stomach would not go away. She looked out at the landscape as the coach moved past, looking for any distraction. After purchasing that dress her mother insisted on her having, it was time to go meet her future husband. She just wished with all her heart that she could have snuck out that brilliant orange coat she found. If Wonderland was beyond her reach, it could have comforted her, at least a little bit.

"I bet it smelled of leather and tea leaves…" She sighed.

Her mother smacked her shoulder lightly with her fan. "We will have none of that, Alice. Do you understand me?"

Alice sat up straight and prudently remained silent. The blistering lecture about her "illness" never seeing the light of day still rang in her ears. She had the most wonderful daydream about drooling on herself like an invalid in front of her future mother-in-law.

And she was tempted to do it, too.

She was losing hope by the minute and already the world was turning cold and uninviting. She didn't understand why she suddenly left Wonderland, no matter how hard she wracked her brain. According to her parents, she never left at all. How could such a long time in another place be only a dream?

But this, just like that 'dream,' was so real. When she pinched herself, it hurt. When she accidently bumped her head on the interior of the carriage during a bump in the road, the pain in her head was real. She was having trouble sorting it all out.

If Wonderland was a dream though…

 _Reginald's grin as he held a poorly concealed bouquet behind his back.  
_  
If this is the real world…

 _Reginald's eyes, blue with the reflection of the firefly on his sleeve.  
_  
Then why…

 _"Hey, Give it back…." He whispered,  
_  
…does _this_ hurt feel so real right now?

 _"My breath..."  
_  
"Dry your tears at once, Alice." Her mother snapped. "You are being absolutely ridiculous."

Alice hastily dashed her hand across her face, wiping off those traitorous tears.

"We are nearly there." Her mother said with a hint of relief.

She looked out the window and stared bleakly at the oversized lawn, leading to the immense mansion in the distance.

A short time later, they were seated at a table at a sprawling garden. Smiling at the roses, Alice bit back the urge to ask if they were painted. Her hosts were seated across from her, asking inane questions that required nothing but a yes or no, allowing her to daydream as she wished.

A servant arrived and poured the tea.

His voice echoed in her head: "CLEAN CUP—"

"Ahem, Miss Liddell," Sir Brandon's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Her mother nudged her foot beneath the table. "He was complementing your dress, girl." She hissed under her breath.

"Ah!" Alice started. "Thank you, Sir Brandon. My apologies."

The gentleman harrumphed and muttered something to his wife. Her forbidding frown deepened on her face. "I see you have a tendency to daydream, my dear?" She said coldly. "That simply won't do."

Her mother kicked her ankle beneath the table.

"Oh no, Ma'am, I was just… distracted by the beauty of this estate. Pray tell, how do you keep it all so pristine?" She simpered. Ugh.

Sir Brandon's toneless voice could stop a Bandersnatch in its tracks and have it snoring in seconds.

Alice looked down at her teacup as he continued to drone. The lime green fire's reflection was certainly interesting. Not as interesting of a green as a certain hat though…

Wait, what?

Nothing but her normal reflection, distorted by the movement of the tea. She was seeing things.

How lovely. She really was going mad.

"Yes, and we have hundreds of gardeners on staff," Sir Brandon continued. "Ah! Here's my boy right now." Alice turned to look with a resigned sigh.

With a breathless gasp, she shrank back at the thin, stubbled face glaring at her from beneath a hood.

"Alice, what…?" cried her mother, dismayed by her reaction. "I do apologize, she hasn't been feeling well." She said apologetically to their hosts.

"YOU!" Alice shrieked. "Let me out of here, this instant!"

"I say," said a shocked Sir Brandon, "What the devil has gotten into you?"

Alice shot up from her seat and faced the hooded young man, chained hands clenched to her sides and fury pouring from her eyes. "I demand you LET ME OUT!"

"Alice, NO!" her mother cried, pulling at her sleeve.

"I SAID, LET. ME. _OUT_!"

An explosion of green fire shot across the Victorian room as Reginald fell back from the hearth. The chair in his hands was broken, and he sat, watching in horrified fascination as the cracks spider-webbed across the large mirror up above the mantle.

"Reginald!" Alice screamed from the case. The cloth that covered it had fallen from the tremors that rocked the room.

He was up and running before she could blink. The chair smashed against the glass and cracked it.

"Turn your head, Cricket!" He cried. The chair shattered the glass and she fell forward, stopped suddenly by the chains attached to her wrists.

"Oh, Cricket, I found you! I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait for you to come to me like Ears said to." He gasped. He clasped her face with both hands.

"Reginald, what's going on?" She yelled over the loud groaning of the room as the walls warped and split.

"I broke the Looking Glass," He bellowed over the din, "You're safe now!"

A painfully loud cackle filled the room, drowning out the rumbling and moaning of the collapsing walls.

"YOU MAD, STUPID IDIOT!" The voice roared. "YOU ACTUALLY DID IT!" The laughter once again rose to an earsplitting pitch.

Hatter pulled at the chains and frantically looked around for something to free his Alice. He spotted a button by the side of her chamber labeled 'release' and mashed it with a fist. The chains fell out of the back of the chamber and the shackles around her ankles sprang open, dropping her into his arms.

"Lets get you out of here, Alice," He said, eyes wide and frightened above his grin. "Its time we went home."

"NOT SO FAST!" the voice cried gleefully, "SHES GOING HOME, BUT NOT WITH YOU, OLD MAN!"

The young man rose from the green flames, doubled over with maniacal laughter.

Behind him, the mirror was falling apart, shards sprinkling down into the roaring flames below. The room began to tilt towards the mirror, a wind pulling everything towards the void exposed by the cracks. Reginald leaned against the pull, charging towards the open door at the opposite end, Alice clasped tightly to his chest.

"Reginald," Alice cried, "Its pulling me!"

"No!" He snarled, "It can't have you!"

"BACK HOME WITH YOU, YOU MISERABLE WRETCH! BACK WHERE YOU BELONG!"

A table collided with the Hatter's legs, knocking him down. Alice slipped from his grasp and slid towards the fireplace, clawing and shrieking.

"ALICE!" He screamed, reaching out as far as he could.

"REGINALD!" Alice wailed. The flames erupted from the fireplace and surrounded her like a lime green halo. She reached out her hand to him in terror.

Their fingertips touched for a moment before she was pulled out of his reach and into the broken mirror, disappearing from his sight.

...

The Hatter woke to a purple-pink mist retreating from his eyes. He was lying on the ground, beneath a clear night sky. The sounds of the late evening rose from the surroundings. In the east, a green glow faded. Approaching footsteps brought the face of Ears into view.

"Reg!" said Ears, breathless with worry. "Where's Alice?"

"Alice…." He weakly whispered. "Come back…"

"Reginald? REG!"

He fell back into the darkness.

….


	6. Chapter 6

**Note: The Tumblr has been abandoned due to someone hacking the page. Please note that from here on out it gets WEIRD.

...

Alice stood, stunned, in broad daylight, the middle of a colorful crowd.

Creatures were walking past her, mingling with humans of all shapes and sizes, hair colors and skin colors.

"Oh wow! Great costume!" a voice in the crowd said in her direction. A scattering of flashes and odd clicks followed. She held her hand up to block out the flashes of light. She looked around, disoriented.

A familiar orange coat and oversized hat tore her eyes from the crowd, in the distance. She shot to her feet and ran after it with a cry.

She was running through a mass of costumed people, down a wide hallway with a glass window dome overhead. All about the walls were banners displaying over-endowed women and muscular men, all with the title "WELCOME TO COMIC-CON" printed in cartoonish scrawl. The immense crowd of people surged against her and she fell heavily on her rear, chains falling roughly into her lap.

"Oh hun, are you alright?" A green-faced, large woman with long dark hair asked. Around her neck was a lanyard with a card containing a miniature photo of her likeness and "GAMORA" written on it. Alice supposed it was a name or title of some sort.

"Uh, I'm fine, Miss… Gamora," She stuttered. She quickly stood up and hopped in place, searching above the crowd for the large green hat.

"Ohh you're good," She said, eyes widening in what looked like recognition. "Very in-character. Are you looking for your Reginald, hun?" Gamora cooed.

Alice snapped her eyes back to the green woman. "Yes!" She cried, relieved. "Do you know him?"

Gamora giggled and pointed into a room. "He should be right in that room there, sugar."

Alice frowned. Reginald was quick, but certainly not able to get from one side of this immense crowd to that room without causing a scene. She approached the room labeled 'Conference B' and hesitated, not knowing what she would find here. Maybe the woman was mistaken and talking about another Reginald. She turned to ask, only to find that the woman had already disappeared into the crowd.  
Her eyes took a second to adjust as she walked inside. Up ahead was a stage of some sort with a long table draped with a banner labeled Comic-Con 2017. At each side of the stage was the title "Alice In Wonderland" scrawled across a vertical banner. She stood rooted in place, staring in awe at the title.

A woman bumped into her, muttering an apology. Alice's own distracted apology was cut short as she eyed the long blonde hair and sky blue, white aproned dress that the woman wore. She had a dress like that once. That dress certainly did not display so much of her chest, however.

Wait, was that supposed to be her?

Alice averted her eyes, scandalized. What in the blue blazes could possibly be going on? Another badge floated past, displaying the name 'The Mad Hatter' on it. She quickly looked up.

Stifling a scream, she backed away and stumbled into a table. That was NOT the Hatter! That was a clown of some sort! His pale, painted face and orange frizzy hair under that dark, only slightly large sized hat? A tattered waist coat with that absolutely garish necktie, and not a single bright color on the man but his hair! Oh, Reginald would rather die than wear something like that! And there were more of them!

It was true. An army of clown-hatters and scandalous Alices were milling about, chattering happily with each other.

She saw him then, that unmistakable oversized hat and orange coat. She ran to him, cutting through the crowd. "Reginald!" She cried.

The man turned and looked at her, puzzled. It was not him at all! She came to a halt and stared.

"You're not Reginald," She finally murmured, "Why are you dressed like him?"

The man was wearing a fake nose and painted on freckles. The coat was made of some cheap fabric and the hat was clearly made of Paper-Mache. "Uh," he said in a gruff voice. "Who do you think I am?"

Alice's mouth fell open, too shocked to form a reply. It was then she noticed another orange coat, with yet another imposter in it. Spinning in place, with her mind barely able to comprehend what was going on, her shock and fear crystallized and anger rose, hot in her throat. She slammed her hands down to her sides with exasperation and stomped her foot.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" She bellowed.

The silence in the room at her outburst caused her to flush with embarrassment. All eyes on her, she turned to leave and nearly stumbled into another person. Thankfully, someone dressed in an outfit that seemed relatively normal.

The woman was as tall as she was, with wavy red hair and a scattering of freckles across her face. The woman stared, stunned, then looked her up and down with a critical eye, walking around her and frowning at the chains and ashes that smudged her face and tattered dress.

"Ma'am, I beg your pardon, please, could you help me?" Alice asked. "I seem to be lost and I haven't a clue where I am."

A shout from the side of the room caught their attention. A couple of official-looking men in uniforms were heading across the crowd in her direction. The determined and grim look on their faces did not bode well for her.

Without a word, the woman snatched her arm, pulled her out of the room and back out into the crowd. She pulled her own lanyard off and looped it over Alice's head, pulling her hair up over the back. With a motherly kiss to the forehead, she shoved Alice towards a set of stairs.

Alice stumbled forward a few steps and turned to look back at the woman, confused.

The woman was nowhere to be found.

Alice gave one last look over her shoulder and rushed up the stairs, giving in to the strangeness of her situation enough to follow the woman's directions. In the next landing, row after row of tables covered the floor. Another one of the official-looking men was standing nearby, but he ignored her. She looked down at the badge and looked about, realizing that everyone else in the room was wearing one. Perhaps it is a pass of some sort?

Eyes darting back and forth, she approached a table. A gentleman sat behind one, with sketches arranged in neat rows in front of him. Alice cautiously leaned over to look.

Reginald's face was grinning up at her from a sketch. And another, and another. Her own face was peering up out of this set of drawings. And here was one of Belle! Looking up, she saw that the man was holding up a device to his head and talking into it. Could that be a phone with no wire attached? Amazing. Looking back down at the sketches, she felt a prickling in the back of her eyes and backed away before she could ruin one with her tears. The man stopped talking and stared, looking at her, then the sketches, and back again. She felt her face flush once again as she backed away.

A low rumbling brought a surprised silence from the crowd. The floor began to shake beneath her feet. A distant, tinny scream could be heard before pandemonium broke loose. The crowd panicked and stampeded towards the doors as the floors dipped and rolled. The man leaped over the table and shoved her into a nearby doorway, standing beside her to avoid the falling debris that rained from above. A few other people were wise enough to follow. The floor buckled and partially collapsed, tables and a few people sliding across. Glass panes and tiles poured from above and dust rose, obscuring everything from view.

It was over in a minute.

The man ran to help a nearby person while Alice collapsed where she stood. The pale dust was hovering in the air, painting the scene a misty white. The building still stood, well built to handle an earthquake, but tables and debris were scattered all over the floor and a few areas had crumbled. Alice carefully made her way down the stairs and towards the outside, where sirens could be heard approaching. She felt a tug on her arm and turned to see that man from the table.

"Thank you," She said. "But I have to get back—"

He nodded and handed her a small leather-bound sketchbook, slightly bigger than her hand. On the back of the badge she wore, he wrote a phone number. "Call this number as soon as you get out." He said, clasping her hand over the plastic-covered rectangle. "Good luck, Miss Liddell." He turned and clambered over some rubble, grabbing a wounded woman by the arm and supporting her as they limped out.

How did he know her name?

She looked around, distracted by sudden red flashing lights. It looked like a fire brigade had arrived. There were people shouting in her face, asking her if she was alright and shoving her in different directions. She made her way into the street and wove her way around parked vehicles and running people.

A collective cry caused her to pause in alarm. People were standing, awestruck, pointing at something in the sky. She turned to look up.  
A large, jagged crack had appeared in the sky, followed by a few more. One erupted from the ground and towered over the biggest building. Screaming from the street level snapped her away from the view and she began to run along with the crowd.

….

Reginald stood in a small dais, hands and feet chained. His glassy, hollow eyes staring off into nowhere. The dais was centered in a massive room with tiered seating along the walls, each chair filled with over-dressed and heavily painted people, whispering and glaring at him from behind ornate fans or gloved hands. All about the room, eyes glittered and stared at him.

He saw nothing. He felt nothing.

The prodding of a spear did little to rouse him, so the guard kicked his knee viciously from behind.

"Bow to your Queen!" The guard roared in his ear.

The Queen of Hearts emerged from somewhere behind him, summoned by brash, tinny fanfare, followed by her entourage. While whispers and sighs rose and fell at her passing, she stared forward and nodded sharply as she made her way to the head of the room. She planted herself onto her throne and looked upon the crowd, glowering, her wide mouth in a furious white-pressed line. She looked towards the White Rabbit and the small page took his cue.

"Her Royal Majesty, The Queen of Wonderland, calls this court to order!"

Hatter's dead stare slowly lifted and curiosity began to lift him from his haze. The Queen was strangely silent today. How very interesting.

The Rabbit finished addressing the crowd and faced the Hatter. "The prisoner is hereby charged with High Treason and Sabotage for destroying the great barrier separating Wonderland from the Otherland. How does the accused plead?"

Hatter opened his mouth to reply, then closed it, suddenly very unsure. He had done a great many things, but this sounded serious. He fought to understand.

"The Hatter has nothing to say?" The Queen barked incredulously, her temper barely kept leashed behind her beady, glittering eyes. "That would be a first."

The crowd laughed on cue.

Hatter looked down from the dais and caught sight of Ears.

"What are they talking about?" He mouthed. Ears shrugged and twisted his ears about his head fretfully.

The Queen burst from her throne, no longer able to rein in her fury, pointing a stubby finger at Reginald.

"YOU!" She bellowed, spittle flying from her mouth. "I'll have your head for this!"

"There she is." Reginald said flatly.

"You have killed us, you addle-brained worm!" She cried, practically foaming at the mouth. "Why did you destroy the Looking Glass?"

Hatter's face lost all expression. "To…To save Alice…" He gasped. Her words blasted away the haze over his thoughts, the only barrier between his sanity and the memory of what had happened. His shoulders slumped further as the realization of what he had done brought his heart sinking to the floor. He'd been horribly tricked!

"Well I hope you're happy with yourself!" She spat. "We are all going to suffer because of your foolishness! Where is she, anyway? Alice! Bring her to me!"

The guards shuffled uncomfortably.

"Well?" She roared. "Where is she?"

"Gone forever." A smug, bell-like voice rang across the court. "As she should be."

The entire assembly looked around, searching for the source of the voice.

Cards shuffled in, forming two lines, spears raised.

"What is the meaning of this?" The Queen barked. She motioned with her fan. "Guards, stand down!"

The cards gave no indication of hearing. They stood, as still as statues.

"Guards?" The Queen repeated, with a tremble in her voice.

The members of the crowd nearest to the cards suddenly screamed, pushing frantically against the seated members in their haste to leave.

"STAY IN YOUR SEATS!" The voice roared, sending the terrified people back down into their seats, quivering.

Reginald felt something inside begin to rattle, like a cage door being shaken, tested. He leaned forward to look at the nearest of the Cards.

Where their eyes once were, there were only deep, charred holes that emitted smoke. The edges of their tunics were crisped and flaking away. Their feet were blackened, cracks exposing live coals inside.

Reginald felt his stomach flip. Those Cards were still burning!

The Cards straightened in response to an unheard command and raised their spears, meeting tip to tip, forming a tunnel.

Fog rolled in. Hatter felt the hair on his arms rise. The rattling quickened.

A petite woman walked through the fog, her dainty form wrapped in a high collared, long sleeved orange over-dress, split from the waist to reveal form-fitting pants that ended in high heeled Victorian boots. A miniature top-hat, such a delicate confection of lace and feathers, crowned her short, platinum-blonde hair, held in place with a long, pearl-tipped hatpin. Her stormy grey eyes glowed with a green fire and her pouty, raspberry lips stretched into a gleeful smile.

The cage in Reginald's chest burst open and the memories spilled out, ripping and tearing across his mind like fiery shrapnel. It was…

"M-Mary Anne?" The White Rabbit cried, stepping forward.

The Queen's face reddened with fury. "Who are you? Guards! Seize her!"

No one moved. The queen grabbed the nearest guard by the collar and pulled him face-level.

"I COMMAND YOU TO OBEY ME!" She roared into his face, sending spittle flying.

The guard in her grip went rigid. In the time it took for her mind to register what she was seeing, the entire court saw the guard's eyes began to glow and burn. She threw him back and scrambled across the throne, gibbering.

Mary Anne walked up to the raised dais and turned her pretty face up to look at the stunned Hatter. "Hello, Reggie," She purred. "Did you miss me?"

Reginald gulped and felt the sweat bead on his brow. "Mary Anne, uh," he struggled to find something to say. "You cut your hair…"  
Her bell-like laughter rose from her belly. She reached a hand up and touched the fringes of her hair. "You noticed, darling! I knew you would."

Still smiling, Mary Anne walked around the dais and up to the throne. Performing a mocking curtsy, she addressed the court in front of the terrified Queen.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," She announced, grandly sweeping her arms out to include all her captive audience. "I have returned home!" She grinned triumphantly. "I have sent the interloper back in my place!"

The Hatter twitched, quickly coughing to mask the movement, as Ears had snuck up on the dais beneath the guards and was carefully picking the lock that shackled the Hatter's feet.

"I-Interloper?" The white rabbit whimpered. "W-whatever do you mean?"  
Mary Anne locked her grey eyes on the Hatter's blue ones and smiled sweetly. "Why, Alice, of course!" she chirped. "You do know the rules of Wonderland, yes?"

Hatter felt the sweat run down his brow. He knew better than to look away.

"One for one," She sang. "When One comes in from the Otherland, One leaves Wonderland in their place. That's the balance!" She trilled. "She was an outsider, that one. She did not belong! And because she did not belong, I got thrown out on my rear like an unwanted child." Her sweet voice gained a nasty edge. "But I am back, and now that dear, sweet Reggie broke the Looking Glass, I'm here to stay. Alice is locked away from Wonderland forever! Is that not wonderful?" She crowed, turning to look at the Queen. "Wonderland is back to the way it should be!"

Mary Anne sauntered around the dais and up the stairs to the Hatter, who swung around to hide Ears from her view.

"And you, my Darling, I have you to thank." She whispered huskily, reaching up a gloved, dainty hand and pulling his face down towards her, lips parted for a kiss.

With a surge of rage, his hands sprang free from the shackles as Ears leapt away. He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her, struggling, in his hands. "Never, Mary Anne! You tricked me!" He bellowed. His glassy eyes sparked dangerously. "You made me break the mirror, getting your lackey to fool me into thinking it would save Alice!" Ice crept up her throat and down her bodice. The room chilled with his fury, sending hoarfrost skittering across the floor.

"Gah- you FOOL!" She gagged, reaching up to break his grip. "How DARE YOU!"

At her roar, lime green fire erupted from her hands and blasted her back from the Hatter, landing her roughly onto the floor. She shrieked and snarled, smacking the floor with her fists, her sweetness turned ugly with her tantrum. "You IDIOT!" She screamed. "You could have ruled Wonderland alongside me! Now you get NOTHING!" She stood up, quivering with rage. "You have lost your precious woman, and now you will lose everything else. Wonderland will be MINE!" She hissed. "SEIZE HER!" She commanded shrilly.

The guards snatched up the wriggling, shrieking Queen.

"And him!" She pointed at Ears. "I lost everything I had because of your Alice." She snarled, spitting out the name like a curse. "So now you will pay dearly, 'Darling'!"

The castle rumbled ominously. The floor trembled and the sconces rattled on the wall. The guards hesitated.

The puff of purple-pink mist near the Hatter's shoulder whispered "Run…"

Reginald leaped off the dais and snatched up Ears by his ears, racing past the stunned woman and down the hall, weaving and dodging as the guards swung the spears too slowly in his direction. The floor erupted behind him and dipped, the rumbling rising to a deafening roar as the castle began to succumb to the earthquake. Mary Anne's magnified, outraged shriek followed him as he ran to safety. Scrambling down hallways and through collapsing doors, He barely made it out before the castle fell in on itself, disappearing into an explosion of dust and rubble.

Reginald and Ears collapsed on the road, panting. They said nothing for a full minute, staring at the ruins of the castle as the last tremors of the earthquake subsided.

"Well," Ears said thoughtfully, turning his head to look at the Hatter. "I believe that was your favorite coat that she was wearing, wasn't it? The one that went missing years ago?"

Reginald pouted. "It was. And she made it into a dress."

A ground-shaking roar erupted from the hills. A great, winged beast emerged, and flapped overhead, circling and wheeling. With an ear-splitting cry, it fell, nose-diving into the ruins, sending rubble high into the air. Before the rubble could land, it was rising, Mary Anne and the Queen in its talons. It soon flew into the mountains and out of sight.

"W-was that a—" Ears gasped.

"Jabberwocky." Hatter moaned. "That was a Jabberwocky."

"And what is that?" Ears squeaked, his voice rising in pitch as he pointed to the sky.

Great jagged cracks had appeared overhead, and two were bursting from the ground in the distance.

"That's…not good…" Hatter whispered.

….


	7. Chapter 7

...

Alice shivered beside a dumpster, miserable and soaking wet from the rain. Her dress was muddy and torn. She must have looked quite a sight with her unkempt hair and chains still dangling from the shackles on her wrists. She rested her head on her knees and wept.

The entire city was in a panic and uproar from the day's events. The earthquake had done a lot of damage to parts of the city, and the great, unexplained cracks had the people scurrying to leave, while a military group was making itself known in the streets. Loud 'helicopters' had flown earlier, moving up to the cracks and having to come back down due to 'electrical interference' that got worse the closer they got. No word was received on what they saw, but rumor had it that a new 'dimension' could be seen through the cracks.

Alice heard this from people as she passed. She could piece together what the words were after a time, but the conclusion chilled her deeper than the rain she sat beneath: that 'dimension' was Wonderland. Something was happening there and it was spilling over to this place, wherever this was.

Could that Looking Glass be responsible? The events that led to her being here tumbled through her mind. She was kidnapped by someone who wanted her out of Wonderland, that was for sure. She was drugged to stay asleep and had dreamt about her family, until Reginald had come to save her. That hooded man had said that he was 'sending her back where she belonged.' Reginald must have broken the Looking glass and that's what pulled her in. Could the cracks be from that?

She had read about the Looking Glass while she worked at the bookstore, but legend had it that the Looking Glass was hidden away, due to some danger that it posed. There was something about it being a barrier between Wonderland and 'Otherland.' In all the books she read, nothing else was mentioned about it, but she concluded that the mirror was related somehow to the rabbit hole, therefore, they were the only two known portals between Wonderland and her world.

She made a mental stumble in her thoughts. She looked around. From the date she saw on the moving picture screen, a TV, she heard it called, it had been over a hundred years since she left home in 1865. Her family was long gone. Her sadness at the thought was profound. This was no longer *her* world.

Wheeled machines called 'cars' had replaced the horse-drawn carriage, and there were 'planes,' 'bullet trains' and 'jets' that moved people quickly from one place to another. There were a few bits of technology in Wonderland that were more modern than what she left in England, such as indoor plumbing, electricity, and telephones, but this place seemed to be so much more technologically advanced. People had 'cell phones' to call each other on, and 'computers' that connected to the 'internet.' The latter was, from what she gathered, the sole source of information in this world.

She had never in her life felt more alone and out of place, and that was saying much, since she had been to Wonderland. The number that the man had written on her badge was useless because she wasn't able to find a phone, the ones that she saw in the streets requiring a currency to operate. Oh, the stares she received when she asked to use someone's cell phone!

A low sob escaped her lips as she cried into her arms, propped on her knees. She wished wise, sensible Belle was here. She would know what to do. Her thoughts inevitably drifted to the Hatter…

 _Reginald laying in the mud, his waist coat barely seen beneath the layer of grey muck. He swung his arms and legs, making a mud angel. She couldn't help but laugh, seated as she was beside him, covered in nearly as much mud as he was._

" _Rainy days are never a bad thing, Cricket," He said, suddenly serious. She looked at his face in surprise at the change. "Without rainy days, we wouldn't have such lovely mud fights, you and I."_

Alice felt her heart bleed at the memory. Tears obscured her vision once again.

"Grandma, over here!" came a nearby shout. Alice looked up in alarm.

A young boy was standing in front of her, holding an umbrella over her head, brown-skinned hand reached out to her. Alice sniffled and hesitated, then reached out slowly to take it.

"We've been looking for you, Alice." The boy smiled, invitingly.

"Manners, Marcus," An older lady's voice boomed. "That's Miss Liddell you're speaking to."

Marcus pulled her to her feet and stood on his toes to make sure the umbrella didn't hit her on the head. "Ah, sorry, Miss Liddell." He said.

A tall, stately lady arrived, a broad smile breaking on her lightly wrinkled, friendly face. Her eyes were warm and welcoming.

"Mark called and told us you would call, but with all that's been going on, we got worried." She said, frowning at the muddy dress and chains. Dismay bloomed on her face. "Oh, Honey," she whispered. "You poor thing, lets hurry and get you home. Marcus, get the blankets out of the trunk and put the towels down. The girl is soaked to the bone!"

Marcus put the umbrella in Alice's hand and jogged down the alley to the car that was waiting there.

"Come, child, we can talk on the way. We've heard a lot about you." The lady grabbed her hand and gently led her forward. "I'm called Hattie, but you can call me Grandma."

Alice sniffled and murmured her thanks. She held the hand tighter and allowed herself to be led to the vehicle, even cracking a smile as Marcus bundled her in too many blankets and gently pushed her into the back seat of the car, stopping to make sure she was seat-belted and comfortable before closing the door and hopping into the front passenger seat. He looked back at her and laughed.

"She looks like a burrito!" He said, his laughter infectious.

Alice giggled and settled down, looking out the window as the car began to move. Warm and feeling safe for the first time in a long time, Alice drifted to sleep.

….

 _Alice walked up a familiar pathway and opened the small gate in the hedge. The long table was quiet and peaceful, no teakettles whistling, but placidly puffing steam instead. The Hatter was sitting in an armchair on the right, legs crossed, an elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. His orange coat and large hat hung nearby. He was dressed casually: white shirt rolled up at the sleeves, a buttoned vest, and black slacks. His hair was tied back neatly, only slightly mussed. He raised an eyebrow and gave a slow, lazy smile._

 _"You're late, Alice." He declared, eyes sparkling._

 _Alice laughed and stood stubbornly where she was. "How could I be late to my own dream? That's what this is, you know, just a dream."_

 _Reginald stood and pulled out a chair next to him and waited politely for her to sit, pushing the chair back in after she got comfortable. "Of course we are. Dreaming, that is." He said calmly. He sat back down and pulled her saucer over to pour her a cup of tea._

 _She frowned a little. "How do you know we are?" She asked._

 _The man chuckled softly and gave the teacup a tender look. "Well I know I am. You're always in my dreams."_

 _Alice felt the warmness in her belly flare up. She abandoned all pretense of politeness and propriety, relishing the freedom of being in a dream. She relaxed, gratefully accepting the saucer and cup from his hand and drank deeply, the scent of bergamot and orange peel teasing her nose. She smiled at her companion, no longer reserved._

 _Alice began to speak, telling him all about the strange place she landed in: the people, the technology, the wonders that seemingly defied all rational logic. She made him laugh with her blunder in the Alice-and-Hatter room. She told him about the strange man and woman she saw at the convention. He was watching her speak with an intensity so focused that she thought he had forgotten his tea._

 _"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" She asked with a laugh._

 _"Every word, Cricket." He whispered, his reverent tone making her blush._

 _Flustered, she went back to her tea. "You're so serious, Reginald. This isn't like you."_

 _"What? You don't think I can be serious sometimes?" He said, feigning hurt. His eyes sparkled mischievously above his pout.  
_

 _"But you ARE the Mad Hatter, Reginald. It's your trademark. I didn't know you could stop being mad."_

 _"Psh…" he said with a hint of sarcasm. "Duh, Alice. I'm always Mad. Aren't we all?" He poked at a radish on the table, which rolled away at his touch._

 _Alice watched the radish as it came to a rest against a teapot. Filing it away as just another facet of Wonderland, she was oddly relieved at the comforting strangeness. "Well you, Mr. Theophilus, are the maddest of the lot. That's why your seriousness is so unsettling."_

 _Reginald's sight turned inward and his face became neutral. "I think you and Wonderland need a serious Hatter right now, don't you think?" He watched something invisible scamper across the table._

 _Alice searched for a distraction from the somber topic and noticed the teacup in his hand had frozen over, frost spilling out of the cup and into the saucer._

 _"Reginald," she gasped in alarm. "Your tea?"_

 _The Hatter looked at his teacup and shrugged. "Oh, this? I'm not sure. I'll ask Queen Elsa one day." He dismissed it with a wave. "Its undrinkable anyhow." He looked away and became lost in his thoughts._

 _Alice felt herself begin to slip into despair as she felt the prickle in the back of her eyes. She looked up towards the string of lights overhead, fighting the urge to burst into tears._

 _Reginald put his ungloved hand over hers. "Oh my sweet, my Cricket, it will be okay. I won't give up. You shouldn't either." He looked earnestly into her eyes._

 _A belated attempt at propriety caused her to pull her hand away and make some space between them, her cheeks pink. Her attempt to pull herself together almost worked, but her vision blurred and the tears fell anyway._

 _"Oh, Reginald!" she moaned, "My family is gone. Everything I knew back there is gone." Her words faded into sobs.  
_

 _Reginald removed a hand-kerchief from his waistcoat and offered it to her, reclaiming her hand and squeezing gently. "I'm sorry, dear Alice. If it makes you feel any better, my family is gone too."_

 _She delicately sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with the kerchief. "But now I don't have a home to go to."_

 _"Of course you do," He said, matter-of-factly. "Belle is taking care of it. You did leave it to her, after all."_

 _Alice puzzled over his meaning for a second. Oh, the letter she wrote under duress. "No," She said quickly,"That's not what I meant."_

 _"I know exactly what you meant, Cricket. I mean what I say, though. Your home is right where you left it: here in Wonderland."_

 _Alice didn't argue. She sniffled and finished her tea in silence._

 _Reginald lifted his head and turned towards a sound she didn't hear. After a moment, he stood up, reaching for his coat and hat. "My apologies, my dear, but I have to leave now. Will you be here for tea tomorrow?"_

 _Alice smiled with a touch of sadness. "Where else would I be?"_

 _He hesitated, then grabbed her hand and kissed it quickly before she could stop him. "Stay strong, my Alice."_

 _As he left, the dream melted away._

….

"Do you always cry in your sleep?" Marcus asked as Grandma smacked his arm.

Alice sniffled, mumbling apologies. She looked out the window at Grandma's home: a cheerful little cottage in a line of similar looking homes. The car had pulled up the driveway and into the garage. Alice watched in fascination as the garage door closed behind them.

"Come on inside and I'll find something dry for you to wear while I wash your dress." Grandma said. "I'll see what we can do about removing those chains while we're at it."

"Where'd you get those from, anyways?" Marcus asked. "Can I have them?"

"Not in my house, Marcus." Grandma said firmly, ending the topic.

Alice followed her inside and looked around the cozy home.

The rooms were sparsely decorated, but all about the house were photos of various people. One must have been Grandma on her wedding day, smiling beautifully next to a very handsome man in a suit. Marcus was in a few of them. The boy wasted no time pointing out his favorites and supplying her with all the names of the subjects. In a display cabinet was a faded china tea set and a few handmade dolls.

"That one is you." Marcus pointed at the blonde doll with the blue dress and white apron. "And that's the white rabbit!"

Grandma returned with a bundle and placed them in Alice's arms. "These are my grand-daughter's for when she visits. She wont mind you wearing them." She motioned towards an open bedroom. "Go on in there and change. There's the toilet and shower. Just let me know if you need anything."

Alice took a long, soothing shower and eyed the garments on the bed. There was a pair of blue jeans and a blue shirt that said "Rockstar" on it, along with a few undergarments. She removed her dirty, damp clothing and placed them into a plastic clothes-basket that Grandma had left for her.

She heard a solid 'clunk' as something other than clothing hit the basket. She reached into a pocket and pulled out the small book the man had given her back in the convention center, wrapped carefully in a clear plastic to protect it from the rain. She set it aside and finished dressing into the strange clothes. Feeling a little self-conscious, she put on the clothing and marveled at how comfortable they were.

She returned to the book, unwrapping it and running a hand over the hard surface. The first page was filled with sketches of faces, some of people she had seen in Wonderland. On the next page, Reginald grinned his mischievous bucktoothed smile at her. She stared in fascination at the accuracy of the sketch. There were similar drawings of him on the next few pages, some with a different drawing style that was no less accurate. She swallowed the ache that filled her chest. In this one, he was working in his shop, a few pins between his lips, brow furrowed and mouth set in concentration as he applied the finishing touches on a large ladies' hat. She had never seen him work, she realized. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed. She would have to come back to this later.

She heard a pot clunking against a counter and rose from the bed. She opened the door and peeked out. Grandma was cooking something that smelled amazing. Alice followed the scent and found herself in a lovely kitchen with a large table in the middle. Grandma turned and exclaimed her approval.

"It all fits! Thank Goodness!" She cried. "You look like you feel much better, too! Well… except for those chains, that is." She tsked under her breath. "I sent Marcus over to the neighbors for a hacksaw or something. He should be back any minute." She returned to the stove.

Alice sat down at the table and stared at the clock on the wall. A white rabbit was being chased around the clock face by a cat. Alice smiled at the thought of the terrified little page being chased by her sweet kitten, Dinah. The smile faded. Dinah would be long gone by now. Another thought crossed her mind.

"Grandma Hattie," she said, suddenly shifting in her seat, "Please, can you tell me how you all know who I am?"

Grandma looked over her shoulder at her and smiled. "You're famous around here, love. They've made movies about you."

"Movies?" She asked, trying out the word in her mouth.

"I'll show you after dinner." Grandma chuckled. "We'll watch Alice in Wonderland, and you can borrow the book if you want."

Alice perked up at the mention of a book, her confusion temporarily forgotten. "Oh, thank you! That would be lovely."

A book about her? Who wrote it? She wondered.

Marcus arrived with an armload of tools and they got to work removing the shackles. Grandma cried out with dismay at her raw skin as the shackle fell away and brought out a salve for the inflamed skin. Alice spoke about her ordeal, noting that the two did not seem surprised at all to hear about her coming from another world.

Her own family would have her institutionalized.

"You've had one heck of a day." Grandma breathed. Marcus nodded, eyes wide.

Alice could barely hide her relief as the last shackle fell off. Grandma applied the salve and quickly rose to wash her hands at the sink, directing Marcus to set the table.

"Once you get some food in you, you'll feel so much better, you'll see." She smiled.

After the last of the dishes were washed, dried, and put away, the three of them settled down on a large couch to watch the movie, as promised. Alice could hardly believe her eyes as she watched her younger self make her way across Wonderland. She gasped at the tweetle twins and their antics, hiding her face in embarrassment over the destroying of the White Rabbit's home. Later, she nearly exploded with laughter at the Mad Hatter depicted on the screen.

"What's so funny, child?" Grandma laughed.

"Reginald! He looks nothing like that!" Alice snorted. "Although, that man on the screen looks like how I described him to a friend!" She faded into a fit of giggles.

"Lewis Carroll?" Marcus asked with a grin.

"Yes, that was his author's name." Alice smiled, her giggles fading as she looked at the boy. "Wait, how did you know?"

"That's who wrote the book! Alice's Adventures in Wonderland!" Marcus exclaimed happily.

"He wrote it? He wrote this?" Alice stared at the screen in fascination. "I thought he was just listening to my stories just to be kind!"

"Nope, he wrote it all down and people still read and watch it today." Grandma smiled.

"That's fascinating…" Alice breathed. "I can't wait to see the look on Reginald's face when—" she paused, letting the words fade in the air.

Grandma and Marcus peered at her worriedly as she began to tear up.

"I… I miss him." She said, surprise coloring her words. "I miss him more than I could say." She felt her eyes overflow.

"Let's save the rest of the movie until tomorrow. You need to rest." Grandma decided. Alice nodded and hurriedly wiped away her tears. They made their way to the room. Grandma gave her a hug and made sure she had enough blankets and pillows before turning off the light.

Alice laid in the darkness and let the tears flow. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

She barely finished the thought before falling asleep.

….


	8. Chapter 8

Reginald opened his eyes. He could still hear her laugh. His lips still felt her small, delicate hand. He could still see her dazzling eyes sparkle with tears.

His heart ached.

The sound of a fist pounding on the door echoed once again. He yelled down and grabbed the pants draped on a nearby chair. Stumbling downstairs, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and made his way to the door. His hand paused at the doorknob, uncertain. He sidestepped and lifted the curtain to see who it was.

It was that prat, Lumiere.

Oh good. He looked nervous. Reginald opened the door wide and glared at the skinny Frenchman.

Lumiere suddenly found himself at a serious disadvantage.

"Ah, Monsieur," He simpered, tearing his eyes away from the broad, shirtless chest. "Bonjour!" he piped with fake cheerfulness. "My apologies for the intrusion, but we are calling a, how shall we say it, town meeting!" He announced brightly. "Perhaps if you would finish getting dressed and meet at the square in an hour?"

The Hatter towered over the smaller man and snorted. A small feminine squeak snapped his eyes towards the street where a small gaggle of women was staring at him, all eyes wide. _Uh oh._

Reginald slammed the door in the surprised man's face, his own face beet red at the unmistakable chorus of disappointed cries outside.

"Is that a yes, then?" Lumiere yelled through the door.

The Hatter rolled his eyes and covered his face with his hand. "Yes, Lumiere. I'll be there in an hour." He called back.

Damn and double damn. Today he was going to lock up his shop and prepare to go find the Rabbit Hole. His bags were already packed for the journey and he had already given Ears his house key. He planned on staying out of sight and leaving tonight, but now he had to go out _there_ or else that cheese-eating fop would think he was a coward.

He stomped upstairs. He'd bet his oversized hat that the topic of discussion would be about him and that damn mirror.

He froze mid-step. What if someone asked him about Alice?

He swallowed quickly to shove down the grief that crept like a monster up his throat. What would he say? The only one he spoke to since the entire event was Ears. Sure, Belle had been about, trying to get him to open the door, but she left disappointed every time. He hoped Ears had done him a favor and told her that Alice wasn't coming home—

She _was_ coming home.

He refused to think otherwise.

A short time later he entered the crowded square, eyes down and shoulders hunched, pointedly ignoring the speculative whispers and gasps that his presence stirred. There was a raised platform at the center of the square where some important-looking people stood in frightened clusters, looking about nervously. From the size of the crowd, most of the town had shown up and there was no shortage of ogling eyes and pointing fingers. He narrowed his eyes and planted himself on the outside of the large crowd, hoping to slip away when the opportunity presented itself.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, if I can have your attention, please!" The White Rabbit, looking ragged and exhausted, his arm in a sling, yelled into a megaphone over the din. The voices faded. "I bring grave news this morning! You have no doubt heard that there have been disasters, attacks on outlying towns, and rumors of an army headed across the land."

The frightened whispers and cries briefly drowned him out.

"I regret to inform you that they are true!" The page continued. "Gathered here are representatives of the nearby kingdoms, to answer your questions."

"What about the Queen?" A woman yelled. "What happened to the Queen?"

Reginald frowned. While the news about an army was, in fact, news to him, he had thought _someone_ would have at least explained what happened to the Royal Court by now.

The rabbit looked to one of the men on the platform. A barrel-chested, bearded man stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"The Queen is alive, as far as we can tell." He said in a clear, strong voice. "But she has been taken captive by the enemy."

"Then who's going to protect us?" Another voice called out of the crowd as the gasps and cries rose once more.

"We are all sending part of our collective militaries to help protect the towns. Its important that you accommodate them in any way you can." The man said. "We will need volunteers for a local militia."

Reginald smirked wryly. It's a shame he wouldn't be around to make all those helmets.

"The cracks in the sky, are they dangerous?" A man called.

The answer was drowned out by the crowd.

"Mr. Hatter," A man's voice whispered from beside him. Reginald turned to find himself face to face with a caribou.

He didn't dare move. The Caribou snorted, but didn't look like it was going to attack.

"Sven, move!" The voice hissed. The Caribou was shoved aside and a blonde man grinned apologetically. "Sorry about that. I'm Kristoff, the representative from Arendale." He put out his hand.

The Hatter hadn't moved a muscle. His eyes were still locked on the caribou. "It senses movement." he whispered.

Kristoff laughed. "Sven won't hurt you, will you?" He vigorously scratched behind one wide ear as Sven grunted happily.

The Hatter whimpered.

"Anyways," Kristoff shrugged. "Please, come meet us in the Pub. There's a group of people who would like to speak to you about recent events, my Queen included."

Reginald tore his eyes away from the caribou and looked blankly at the man. "Me? Why?"

Kristoff stared, a sarcastic smirk on his face. "Really?" He finally asked. "You think that no one knows what went on the past few days?"

Reginald mentally kicked himself. So much for laying low. He sighed theatrically and gave in to the inevitable.

"Lead the way, Christopher."

"Kristoff."

"Whatever."

….

In a private upstairs room, Reginald found himself in some very exalted company.

"Welcome, Cousin." Queen Elsa said. "Please have a seat."

"C-cousin?" The Hatter stammered.

"What, did you think the white hair was from mercury poisoning or something?" Piped Princess Anna. She grinned at him.

Reginald sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. "Well, yeah!" He cried, incredulously. "It is, in fact, from just that!"

Anna looked at him with narrowed eyes and a smirk. "So what, super powers were a bonus?"

He opened his mouth and closed it. Then opened it again.

"Stop, Reginald. You look like a fish." Elsa said.

He closed his mouth and looked around helplessly.

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but your hair turned white because of your bloodline, not your occupation. Though, maybe your occupation had a more to do with it, now that I think about it." Anna mused.

Elsa glared at her.

"What?" Anna cried.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Reginald, a survivor from the Queen's Palace told us that you were able to summon ice to try to stop that Mary Anne, correct?"

"I was so sure it was the mercury." He muttered to himself.

"Well, regardless, we should all be thankful that you only have a small bit of the power and have it under control." Elsa continued.

"How do you do it?" Anna chirped.

"I have a purple squirrel." Reginald replied absently, puzzling over a wisp of his white hair.

Anna froze mid-word, mouth wide open.

"Now who looks like a fish?" Hatter whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Enough, please!" Princess Merida shouted. "Back on topic!" She fell back down into her chair and crossed her arms with a huff.

"Yes, back on topic. We need to know what happened, starting from the beginning. Please, Reginald, tell us." Elsa asked, looking at him expectantly.

Reginald looked around. At the head of the table was Elsa, with Anna at her right. Around the table, glaring, smirking, or just waving at him in no particular order, were Kristoff, Rapunzel, Eugene, Shang Li, and Merida.

With a deep breath, he told the story. He started with Alice's disappearance, the search, and then the summoning of the Cheshire Cat. Ignoring the gasps and whispers about the Cat, he found it harder and harder to speak as he continued with the breaking of the Mirror and the loss of Alice.

"Stop, Reginald!" Elsa cut him off. The table had frosted over. With a curt wave, she made the ice disappear.

"You weren't kidding," Merida gasped, snatching her bow off the table and plucking on her bowstring to knock the frost off.

With a painful sigh, he concluded the story with the trial and escape of Mary Anne on the Jabberwocky.

The terrified silence that met his words seemed to last an eternity.

"Whats a jabberwok—OW!" Anna yelped as Elsa elbowed her in the ribs.

A soft, echoing voice began to fill the room:

 _"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves,_

 _Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:_

 _All mimsy were the borogoves,_

 _And the mome raths outgrabe."_

The purple-pink mist rolled in between the cracks of the closed windows and bounced across the room ponderously as it gathered. " _Beware the Jabberwock, my son!_ " It cried, " _The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!_ "

Elsa stood slowly, her eyes locked on the rolling creature. "Is that the…"

"Cheshire Cat," Reginald murmured.

The half-moon grin tumbled through the air, giggling:

 _"He took his vorpal sword in hand;_

 _Long time the manxome foe he sought—_

 _So rested he by the Tumtum tree_

 _And stood awhile in thought._

 _And, as in uffish thought he stood,_

 _The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,_

 _Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,_

 _And burbled as it came!_

 _One, two! One, two! And through and through_

 _The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!_

 _He left it dead, and with its head_

 _He went galumphing back."_

Merida pulled an arrow out of her quiver slowly, eyes locked on the creature. Shang placed a forbidding hand on her arm, never taking his own eyes off the cartwheeling mist. She growled and put it back.

"You did something naughty, Hatter!" The cat purred. "I'm so proud of you!"

Reginald bit back a snarl. "You knew, didn't you? Had you warned me, Alice would be home and none of this would have ever happened." His eyes glared hatefully at the Cat.

"Where's the fun in that?" The Cat howled. "Mary Anne would have had her revenge sooner or later…" it sung mockingly.

"That's true," Rapunzel said, soberly "And it could have been worse." She looked at Eugene. "There could have been more at stake."

"And the stakes aren't high now?" Merida bellowed. "My family is there, right now, in the path of an army!" She ran her hands through her voluminous hair in frustration. "We are wasting time!"

"You're not the only one who's family is in danger." Shang retorted. "My wife is out there right now, trying to find a way to that mirror. She is heading straight into the Enemy's lair as we speak."

Merida bit back her words with a seething hiss. Reginald wondered if anyone knew about the Rabbit Hole except for him. If he was correct, Mulan was going in the wrong direction.

"And the more we know here, the better odds she will have of coming back alive." The man whispered, his wavering voice betraying his emotions.

The Cheshire Cat bounced onto the table and condensed into his feline form, his eyes wide open. The entire table, minus the Hatter, averted their eyes. "What fun!" He cried. "I haven't had this much fun since Alice arrived. Oh, how I miss that girl!"

Reginald swallowed and looked up, determined. Shang was giving his all for this. He had no time to feel sorry for himself. "Cheshire Cat," he said, "I put myself into your debt. Please lend us your aid."

The Cat paused mid-cartwheel. "My aid, you say? Why that's a risky prospect, indeed!"

Reginald smiled sadly. "Name your price, Cheshire Cat. Please help us."

"Oh! Hatter, you flatterer." The Cat mewled. "You think that I don't have a vested interest in your success?" The cat slid upside down in the air. "Au contraire, I need you all to succeed."

"Then you _will_ help us?" Anna asked timidly.

"Oh my, Yes!" He tittered. "In exchange for one thing…"

"I thought you said—" Elsa interrupted.

"But he offered," The Cat pointed a claw at Reginald. "And I do like gifts."

"What do you need from me?" Reginald said, "Ask it and its yours."

"Need? Need. No. I _want_ you to make me a Hat, dear Hatter."

 _Is that all?_ "What's the catch?" He whispered.

"Oh! I'm so hurt, Hatter. You must think poorly of me." He groaned. "All I want is a simple hat, nothing special."

"Alright, Deal. What kind of hat?"

"I just want a Hat. You'll know when you finish it." The cat purred, floating happily around the Hatter's own hat.

"When do you need it?" Reginald asked.

"Oh, whenever. I'm in no rush."

"Then I'll get started right away." Reginald said finally. "As part of the exchange, I request that you lead Mulan to the Rabbit Hole instead."

The Cat froze, just as in his yard on that day. "The Rabbit Hole?" he whispered.

Shang stared at Reginald mutely.

"You are sacrificing your chance at being the hero who saves Alice?" The Cat spiraled over to the Hatter's face. "That's so noble, Hatter…"

"The Rabbit Hole is how Alice got to Wonderland, both times." Reginald explained, ignoring the feline. "Belle told me that, once. From what I figure, Mary Anne probably wouldn't have known about it, so it's the safer way to get to Alice."

Shang closed his eyes and bowed at the waist, nearly overcome with gratitude. Reginald smiled sadly. As much as he wanted to be the one who saved his dear Cricket, if it had been him in Shang's place, he hoped the man would have done the same.

"Consider it done, Hatter, at your noble request." The cat snickered.

Elsa breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the cat, risking its glare. "Cheshire Cat, about that poem you said,"

"Yeeeeeeesssss?" The cat asked lazily.

"The vorpal sword, if that is what's needed to kill the Jabberwocky, then where is it?"

"OH! Excellent question, Oh Queenie-weenie." The cat crooned. "It belongs to Alice, of course!"

"Alice?" They all chorused.

"Yes! Alice our Princess, keeper of hearts... or maybe just one heart in particular…" the cat crooned, bouncing like a ball on every word.

Reginald sat down roughly. "Where is it?"

"In the Otherland!" The cat chirped. "The clever girl, being exactly where we need her." He began to melt in place. "She's a resourceful one, that Alice. She'll find it."

The Cat pooled into the center of the table and closed his eyes contentedly. "Now," He purred. "With all the business out of the way, How else can I be of service?"

….

The Cheshire Cat was not just any ordinary, albeit strange, citizen of Wonderland. He was a conglomerate of the thoughts and dreams of every being in Wonderland, the source of magic, and the very lifeline of the world. Otherland was an entirely different story. This, the Cat explained, was why it was important that there was a delicate balance between the Worlds as far as Otherlanders and Wonderlanders were concerned.

"You see," the cat spoke sagely, "Otherlanders come from a place of no magic, meaning that I cannot sense their thoughts or predict their actions. The balance was designed to protect the magic of Wonderland by making sure that the Otherlanders stay in the Otherland, only coming in when one, be it one of us or one of them, leaves. This is the one-for-one rule and the reason why people deem them as Visitors only. Mary Anne broke this balance by dragging Alice out without an exchange.

Merida hesitated to point out that the math seemed a little off. "Alice was the only one taken when Mary Anne came in, so..."

The Cat smiled indulgently, turning to Reginald to answer the question. "But where is that hooded man that Mary Anne controlled, Hm?"

As it appeared, Mary Anne crossed over, intending Alice to go through in exchange, but her lackey was closer and got pulled instead. The flux from the mirror breaking was too strong and dragged Alice out as well. This miscalculation was what caused the worlds to become cracked and unstable.

The Cat giggled with mirth. "Mary Anne thought that the breaking of the Looking Glass would cement her stay here in Wonderland, but instead, it prevented the Balance from being maintained. For all her pretty planning and scheming, Mary Anne is rather witless, don't you agree?"

Reginald clasped his hands in front of him and pressed his thumbs together. "This is all my fault." He felt the guilt ooze from his heart. "If it wasn't for me breaking her heart all those years ago, she wouldn't have come back seeking revenge like this."

"As much as I would like to agree with you, I can't." The Cat rumbled. "Mary Anne only wanted permanence here in Wonderland. You see, you need a tether: a magical graft to stay here in Wonderland forever. The tether can only be granted by a bond with another Wonderlander, typically through marriage between the two. Not to say there aren't other ways…"

Reginald shivered suddenly, his world crumbling and reforming as realization dawned on him. "You mean… was that why…?"

"Oh, Hatter! Did you really believe the girl when she said she loved you? Oh, how rich!" The Cat dissolved into bubbling laughter.

Reginald couldn't describe the feeling that he had. It wasn't hurt, it was… betrayal. "She was going to use me." He whispered.

Anna reached over and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. She knew exactly how he felt, the pain of Hans' deceit fresh on her mind.

"Well, little purple squirrel, you don't have to hide that splinter of guilt anymore," The Cat addressed the Hatter's mental construct with a grin. "It just turned into a great dagger in his back!"

Reginald felt the cold fire run through him, leaving him hollowed out and clean. He no longer felt sorry for Mary Anne, or himself. He only felt determined that she pays for what she's done and that they bring Alice back, with sword in hand.

"So, if— _when_ we get Alice back, we can kill the Jabberwocky and fix Wonderland, and if we get back that lackey, we can remove Mary Anne for good?" He asked the Cheshire Cat.

"It's a start…" The Cat suggested. "I believe Belle is a few steps ahead of you regarding planning all that, though…"

Reginald had wondered what she was up to. He knew that she wouldn't take his silence for an answer. Clever Belle.

The rest of the gathering, who had remained silent during most of the exchange, began to flesh out a plan to whittle down Mary Anne's army, distracting her until Alice's return. That is, if Mulan was to succeed. A courier was sent to retrieve Belle and The Cheshire Cat disappeared to fulfil his promise. Reginald got up to leave.

"Hatter," a disembodied voice echoed, "Don't forget my hat."

….

Reginald got to work immediately. The blacksmith, arriving with an armload of steel helmet frames looked questioningly at the row of elaborate gentlemen's hats and wisely kept his mouth shut, for he saw the already completed order of leather and steel helms on the counter. With a curt nod at the busy Hatter, he headed back out into the avenue, where shops that previously sold clothing and luxuries were now churning out armor, gauntlets, and swords.

Reginald's deft hands smoothed a ribbon on the purple-pink high-topped beaver and lifted the completed hat up to inspect. "No," he finally said, setting it gently on the counter next to the others. "That's not the one."

As he worked, he heard about the disasters that were devastating the already beleaguered land: a great typhoon had nearly destroyed the southern isles, another earthquake sent Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene on the fastest coach to help their people. Queen Elsa had left immediately following the meeting, warning him to take care of himself and make sure his powers don't go out of control. From what he heard, it wasn't a moment too soon, for Arendale came under attack shortly after. New cracks had appeared everywhere, revealing a similarly ravaged Otherland when the people dared get close enough to look through.

Reginald kept busy, making sure that his fine crafted helms and shields were readily available, using his skills in a different, but efficient way. The townsfolk were grateful for his contributions, but scratched their heads in confusion at the ever-growing collection of hats that he produced. When he needed a break, he would leave to watch the militia train in the town square, under the watchful eyes of Shang.

An unexpected distraction came in the form of his despised rival, Lumiere.

Ears had just dropped off some tea from his shop, when the thin man walked in, wearing light mail and armed with a filigreed rapier that looked like it was more decoration than weapon.

Ears backed up defensively. "We don't want trouble here, Lumiere," He warned.

The Hatter heard the March Hare and walked around the counter, his face a pale mask. "What do you want?" He snarled.

The Frenchman planted his feet solidly and puffed his chest. "I am here to invite you to my swordsmanship training." He said, loftily.

"If I wanted to learn to prance like a dandy, I would go to the ribbon dancing class at the theater." Reginald retorted, eying the man coolly.

Ears snickered and stifled it in his paw.

Lumiere regarded him, refusing to take insult. "You may be a rough, uncultured brute of a brawler, but that's going to do you no good. You need to learn weapons." he said firmly.

"From you? I think not, pretty man."

Before Ear's could yelp a warning, the Frenchman had unsheathed his rapier and was aiming a thrust at the seemingly unsuspecting Hatter.

The thrust was intercepted and parried by Reginald, who had somehow produced an umbrella, and was wielding it with surprising skill. The Frenchman quickly found himself on the defensive as the Hatter's aggressive maneuvers told him clearly that this fight would not be easily won.

However, the fight lasted for only a moment before the umbrella was knocked out of Reginald's hand and sent spinning through the air.

The men faced off, panting. Ears looked back and forth between them in astonishment.

"You see," Lumiere gasped. "How are you going to rescue your Woman if you can't beat me? The enemy will be much better and faster than I ever claimed to be."

Reginald fixed a considering look upon the thin man. Word travels fast, it seems. "Are you trying to help me?" He asked finally.

"Oui, Hatter, c'est vrai." He responded, extending a hand of friendship. "If you wish to keep working on your hats, I can meet you here on the evenings and we can train."

Reginald's lips curved into a smile as he swallowed his pride and extended his hand.

….

That night Reginald dreamed of Alice.

 _Alice was already seated at the tea party table, leafing through a thin book and smiling. As he walked closer he saw the bright, colorful pictures. A children's book._

 _"Is that you, Cricket?" He chuckled, startling her. He memorized the shape of her face, her periwinkle eyes wide with surprise._

 _"Oh, Reginald! You scared me!" She cried. Her lips curled into a smile, unable to hold on to her annoyance at the sight of his face._

 _Her familiar words were a healing balm on his battered heart._

 _"Good evening, Miss Liddell," He smiled. "My apologies. What are you reading?"_

 _Her lovely grin took his breath away._

 _"Oh, Reginald, look at this!" She said, flipping the book to its cover. "In this world, they wrote the story about how I first came to Wonderland."_

 _He read through the short book, smiling at the antics of his young Alice, but when he got to the part about the tea party…_

 _"Good Heavens! Is that supposed to be me?" He cried, somewhat offended._

 _Her bubbling laugh and dainty little snort erased any hurt feelings. He sat down next to her and listened to her talk about a thing called a 'Movie' where she saw her entire adventure in Wonderland 'animated' on a 'TV.' She was also reading a book about her adventures, written by a family friend while she flew across the country in an 'airplane'._

 _He'd figure out what those words meant one day._

 _"Look at this, Reginald." She had pulled out a small, leather-bound book and opened it, watching his face for his reaction._

 _He was surprised to see the sketches of himself. Could someone have been spying on him? Drawing pictures of him? The accuracy was chilling. He turned the pages and found a set of drawings that were of Alice. Pulling the book closer, he smiled at her various faces and poses. How did the artist get that exact look in her eyes that he loved so much? He flipped towards the back of the book._

 _"Oh, I hadn't gotten that far—" Alice tried to grab the book._

 _"Ah, hahaha! My Cricket," He howled, holding the book beyond her reach. "Did someone draw us kissing?"_

 _Her face reddened with horror and she shrieked, leaning over him to reach the book. He lept from the chair and danced away, holding the book high above his head._

 _Her shrieks of outrage turned into breathless laughter as she chased him. After a few rounds, he surrendered the book and they returned to their seats, giggling like children._

 _"I wish this wasn't a dream and that he was really here." She said to herself, as if he wasn't sitting next to her._

 _He ached to see her so lost and alone. His hand found hers and he squeezed encouragingly._

 _"My Cricket," He whispered. "don't give up."_

 _Alice gave a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I won't, Reginald."_

 _He pushed a plate of tea cookies her way, loving the way her laugh returned. In his head, he was telling her about how everything in Wonderland was falling apart, and how much danger they were in. In the confines of his mind he told her how much he loved her and how much his heart broke just a bit more with every passing day she was gone._

 _Instead, he remained silent and committed her face to memory, willing himself to remember every detail._

 _He looked at their hands, noting that this time, she didn't pull away._

 _"This is a dream." She finally whispered. "And since this is a dream, Reginald, there's something I want to tell you."_

….

He opened his eyes and stared at his ceiling, wishing that he hadn't woken up.


	9. Chapter 9

_"_ _And since this is a dream, Reginald, there's something I want to tell you."  
Her hand was suddenly empty. Alice felt as if the light had disappeared.  
Reginald was gone._

Alice woke in an uncomfortable chair next to a sleeping Marcus. All around her were people sleeping in similar chairs with various bags around them. She looked up at the sign that said "GATE C8 – PHILADELPHIA – LONDON." Marcus called this place an 'Airport,' and yesterday she had flown on a giant, winged metal tube across the country. The boy had laughed at her when she squealed at takeoff, holding her hand tightly so that she wouldn't get scared. She was dazzled by the sight of the land beneath them and the clouds just outside the window. It was terrifying.

It was wonderful.

Grandma had received a passport and ID in the mail for her, with a look that said 'don't ask questions' when she asked where they came from. She packed her a small case with her clean dress and boots, along with some modern clothes that she purchased just for her.

"Marcus will go with you, so don't you worry." She said, zipping up the suitcase. "There will be people waiting for you in London."

Alice had seen pictures on the 'internet' of London, but it was unrecognizable from the London she had visited as a child. Northern Wales, where she grew up, was also unrecognizable. The thought of finding all her old haunts buried in time filled her with a dread that choked her. Nonetheless, she had to go and see it with her own eyes. She had to go back home.

The next morning, she hugged Grandma goodbye, thanking her for everything. The sweet, stately lady kissed her forehead and wished her good luck, tears in her eyes. She went through a long line called 'security' and soon boarded the plane.

Alice opened, then closed her book, unable to concentrate on reading. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander, thinking about her little home and the window where Reginald had serenaded her. Her mind drifted, thoughts becoming scattered as she fell back asleep.

….

A petite, platinum-blonde woman with a long, orange coat was seated in a makeshift throne, made up of a few broken chairs and some torn cushions, but she sat as if it were a gilded dais in front of a royal court. Behind her was the vast expanse of the void, speckled with shards of the broken looking-glass and debris. The ruins of the rock-strewn Victorian parlor glowed in the lime-green light of a fire inside a shattered hearth, the only light in the area.

Alice walked up to the throne, watching the woman who sat as still as a statue.

"Hello Alice," the woman said, her voice sweet and girlish. "How strange that I would dream of you." Her face was fixed in a grin that looked unsettling on her face.

"Do you even dream, Cheshire Cat?" Alice replied.

The woman dissolved into a mist, cackling. "I knew you would recognize me, Alice!" The Cat howled. The mist condensed into a long, exaggerated feline form with a great, half-moon grin. The eyes were polished globes reflecting her face.

"Who were you trying to be?" She asked, settling onto part of a broken couch.

The Cat winked one eye, then the other. "Mary Anne." He finally said.

"Oh, that's the name the White Rabbit called me once." She recalled. "Was that not his maid or servant?"  
The Cat's grin grew feral, the teeth a little sharper. "Yes, that's her. So much ambition, but so little ability to rise above."

As he hissed the last words, he rose into the air, circling above the seated woman.

"Such judgement," Alice observed dryly. "Whatever did she do to you?"

The Cat's startled giggle grew into howling laughter. "Its funny, if you knew what she had done to us, you wouldn't be so quick to come to her defense."

"Well I don't know. And so, it's not my place to judge." Alice said, neck craning to see the Cat as he floated about her head.

"How is your home, Alice?" The Cat purred, suddenly changing the subject. "Is it everything you had ever dreamed?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Not at all. When I returned home I expected it to be just where I left it, same time and place." Her voice wavered slightly.

"Oh, poor Alice." The Cat said, mockingly sweet. "You run from your problems and expect the entire world to stop until you decide to come back? How very arrogant of you."

Alice glared at the Cat, her chin high. "You insult me, Cheshire Cat. I wasn't running from my problems."

"Oh but that's exactly what you did. Did the prim and proper Alice think she was above consequence?" The Cat gasped, acting scandalized. "Not our Alice!"

Alice's scathing reply caught in her throat. Her eyes unfocused for a moment as the words hovered in her mind, not unlike the Cat above her head. She had done just that, hadn't she? She ran from her problems into another world without a backwards thought. In doing so, she changed everything. The ripples from her actions, seemingly harmless from her vantage point, were causing tidal waves elsewhere.

 _Reginald's face, lost and unable to grasp her words of rejection on a firefly-lit porch._

 _Walking in on Belle in the bookstore, the woman hastily wiping away tears and pasting on a welcoming smile to hide behind after Alice had revealed her reason for pushing the Hatter away: her intentions to leave._

 _Ears' voice on the phone. "I've made a mistake, haven't I?"_

In running to Wonderland, she had uprooted lives and made a home for herself where ones such as herself never had any business being. How dare she think that she could just leave without considering the damage.

Alice slumped under the weight of what she had done. The Cat was unnervingly quiet, swirling above her with the feral grin still upon his face. He dropped a small thought, like a feather, into the woman's mind.

 _You're not worthy of Wonderland…Why bother coming back?_

The thought brushed her mind with a delicate touch, but left devastation in its wake. She felt thoroughly gutted and hollow. She crumbled, her face in her hands.

A golden mote of dust rose up to meet the feather in her mind. The tiny impact of the motes of thought, as they melded, sent a ripple through her. She lowered her hand, revealing a pale, determined face.

The Cat cocked his head, curiously.

"No, Cheshire Cat."

The entire room froze, as if time had stopped completely. Alice looked up at the Cat, frozen and watching her with an unsettling intensity, grin still present, though now fragile-looking. She felt the thought take hold inside her, strengthening her resolve.

"All my life I've been told what to do and how to act. I've made mistakes and had the chance to fix them. I've lost that chance with my family due to my own irresponsibility. I refuse to lose that chance with Wonderland."

Alice stood up, eyes piercing the brilliant globes of the Cat's. "I saw that White Rabbit in that world. I chased him, because I could see the magic that no one else could. I chose to come to Wonderland. ME." She jabbed her chest with her finger. "And every heartbreak, every moment of pain, every consequence, I accept. Because the laughter, the joy, and the Magic is what makes it all worth every bit. _MY_ own mistakes, Cheshire Cat. I accept those too because those are what makes me, me!"

 _"_ _Who are you?" asked the caterpillar, leaning forward to the little girl through a hookah-smoke cloud._

Alice stood and planted her feet. Gritting her teeth, she felt the defiance course through her. "I will right my wrongs, Cheshire Cat." She declared. "And mark my words: I will get back to Wonderland, even if I have to dig my own rabbit hole to do it."

"Why?" The Cat whispered, no more laughter in his voice.

"Why? Because I am Alice of Wonderland."

The shards in the void spun wildly, glittering in space like blinding diamonds. The Cat fell to the ground, landing in front of her with a resounding impact, straightened from a crouch, and stood as tall as her. His eyes hovered, inches from her own, leaving no room for her to look away.

 _"_ _Indeed."_ He whispered in her head.

She felt her mind being pulled into the eyes, the ropes of her sanity snapping one-by-one, like a boat being ripped from the dock during a storm. She felt the vertigo as she mentally fell, tumbling end over end into Madness.

….

Alice was falling down a tunnel, turning to stare at the familiar diamond-patterned wallpaper of the Rabbit Hole as she plummeted. The Rabbit Hole gradually faded into the void, where great shards of mirror were tumbling, reflecting moments in time:

 _Mary Anne's face, tear-bright with grief, and on the other side of the shard, the same face contorted with rage._

 _Ears opening a Tea Shop, proudly unlocking the door, turned into Ears handing out rations to a group of soldiers as they took a break from training._

 _Reginald as a child, freeing a purple-pink kitten from a briar patch. Reginald sparring with Lumiere, eyes grim and determined as he nodded at the thin man's points and criticism._

 _A young girl tumbling through a rabbit hole, then the same girl, all grown up, staring down a Cheshire Cat._

Her descent slowed and her boots gently touched the floor. She looked around at the void and all the time-shards, spinning in and out of sight. Alice turned at the sound of a footfall and felt herself go rigid with shock.

Standing before her was a creature both beautiful and terrifying. The robed, ethereal creature, human-like, with long, sinuous arms that faded at the elbow and reappeared at the wrist, had hair like gossamer thread, that changed color depending on the light. Alice blinked and swore she saw it change in texture and color, from smooth and black, to tawny with long, brown rabbit ears, then to golden, pooling down to the floor. An ageless, androgynous face grinned at her beneath bottomless eyes, shifting like leaves into features that spanned the face of everyone she had ever met in Wonderland, even a splash of freckles appearing for a second. The forest green sleeves of the short-sleeved robe faded in and out over the gap between elbow and wrist, were peppered with pink flamingo feathers and red-painted, white roses, ending in playing card figures, lowering spears menacingly. The sash around the waist was a flower garden with bread-butterflies flitting about, fading into a string of pearls, chased by a walrus lining one vertical hem, and a White Rabbit pulling a pocket watch out of a pocket on the other. The designs melted into one another, becoming a long table with teapots and china, puffing steam into the midnight blackness, then into a grand black-and-white chess board, the pieces hopping about. Scene after scene contorted and melted, each as heart-breakingly beautiful as the last.

Then came the terrible scenes: the chilling darkness of the Tulgey Wood, fading into charred, broken trees in an ash plain, a burning army slowly moving across. A great, draconian creature, roaring, as fire burst from its mouth, lined with terrible teeth. Alice struggled to keep her mind together as it gibbered insanely.

"Who are you?" She gasped.

"Wonderland." The Cheshire Cat replied. A shard appeared next to him, reflecting a scene of Reginald looking at the same creature, his face full of wonder and awe, flipping to show her own face, mirroring the exact expression she just saw in his.

Alice felt her mind try to fragment a little more.

"You're amazing." Alice breathed, her eyes wide.

The Cat tilted his head to one side, curiously.

She tore her eyes away from the Cat with effort and took a respectful step backwards.

The grin deepened. "My clever, darling Alice." He whispered. "I am pleased you're able to keep your mind in one piece, much like the Hatter-"

The Cat cried out suddenly, doubling over in pain. Alice ran forward and lifted him to his feet. She gasped as he clasped her arm, digging sharp nails into her skin.

"Alice," He gasped. "Mary Anne, she's killing me…"

Alice stifled a scream at the sight of the ravaged skin on the arm that was smooth just a moment ago. The exposed bone of a long-fingered hand clutched weakly to her, the edges of the wound charred and smoking.

"No, Cheshire!" She cried.

He looked up at her, his face contorted in pain. "Go, Alice!"

….

Alice woke with a cry. She looked around at the people gathering their bags to board the plane. Marcus was shaking her, eyes wide and worried.

"Are you okay?" He whispered.

"I'm fine, I'm alright Marcus." She gasped.

"They're boarding now." Marcus pointed.

Alice shook her head, steadying her mind as her sanity slowly clicked back into place like puzzle pieces. She looked up and around at a world that was a little stranger and more alien than she remembered.

She felt something inside her settle, stronger and more determined.

She had to get back to Wonderland.

They boarded the plane and left the continent behind them.

….

Reginald set the derby down and slumped down in his chair. He had made so many hats, but none of them were right.

Oh well. On to the next one.

He reached over some felt, knocking over a teacup. Out rolled two periwinkle blue buttons and a spool of golden thread.

Reginald picked up a button and lifted it to his eye, looking through the tiny holes. Through the holes he saw…

 _Inspiration._

Lumiere gave the counter a polite tap, looking around for the Hatter. Ears hopped up and onto the counter next to him, lifting one ear and twitching nervously.

"This is odd." Lumiere mumbled. "Maybe he stepped out for some fresh air?"

A door upstairs crashed open, loud enough to knock Ears off the counter. Reginald ran down the stairs, jumping them three at a time, holding a streamer of gold ribbon and a handful of colorful feathers. He rushed past them without acknowledgement and went to his workbench, which quickly became a flurry of discarded feathers and flying ribbon.

"Oh, dear me," The March Hare said, leaning to the side. "We must leave."

"Leave?" asked Lumiere. "Why?"

Ears shuffled towards the door. "When he gets like this, there's no dealing with him." He muttered.

A victorious whoop erupted from the workbench.

Hatter scrambled over the counter, making sure not to tip his creation.

The hat that he held aloft was a wide-brimmed ladies' sun bonnet, mauve with a golden yellow ribbon,a patch of light blue feathers, and a delicate, white-lace flower.

The Hatter looked around wildly at the hats on his displays, searching for something specific.

"Aha!" He cried, pouncing on a grey top-hat, deftly unwrapping the metallic green and orange ribbon from it with one hand and flipping it up onto the bonnet, twisting it around the golden sash with a flourish. He removed two pins and a small card from his sleeve and secured it, tucking the card into a fold, the "10/6" visible. With the small additions, the hat was complete.

"Perfect!" He grinned.

The bonnet lifted from his hands slowly, hovering a few feet above the Hatter's hand. It spun in place, the Cheshire Cat admiring it from every angle.

"It's a beautiful Alice-Bonnet," The Cat purred. "I love the Mad Hatter additions too. Now I have a little of you both."

The mist poured down and an elegant Victorian woman emerged, wearing the bonnet, grinning with the Cat's feral grin. "You've outdone yourself, Hatter. This might be your best work yet."

Reginald flashed his brilliant bucktoothed smile. "Of course it is." He said proudly.

The lady floated out the door, pausing to give the stunned Lumiere and Ears a saucy wink before disappearing into the evening air. A passing gentleman stared, open-mouthed at the open door as the lady faded.

From that evening on, people whispered about a beautiful, Victorian lady, a gowned warrior who ambushed the enemy soldiers, scattered groups of enemy fighters, and rescued kidnapped villagers, all while wearing the most elegant, eccentric Bonnet they'd ever seen.

….

Alice and Marcus looked around the crowd, at faces, unfamiliar, waving and smiling, some calling for a friend or a family member. Alice felt the slow ache of loss as she watched a woman and man crouch to embrace their child, welcoming and joyous.

Golden blonde hair grabbed her attention.

Smiling, arms extended in welcome, was a woman that looked exactly like her: from Her merry, laughing blue eyes, to the dainty, slippered feet.

Alice recalled the passport that she used to get on the plane.

"Miss Regina, is it?" She asked.

"Welcome Aunt Alice!" The girl laughed.

"Aunt—?" her question fizzled in the air as she looked at the group that surrounded her. One gentleman grinned at her, the smile clearly that of her dear sister. The voluptuous woman who lifted her in the air in a bear hug was sporting her father's warm, crinkled brown eyes. All about her were people, tall, short, fat and thin, all with features that echoed in her mind, familiar and dear. One little old man was a clear throwback to her great uncle Maurice.

"Are you my…?" Alice gasped, spinning around to see them all.

"Yes, Alice." A beautiful woman said, Alice's mother's smile dominating her face. "We're your sister's descendants."

Alice looked from face to face, eyes brimming with tears, gazing upon the faces of Mathilda's grandchildren and great-grandchildren, her heart filled to nearly bursting.


	10. Chapter 10

….

Marcus had entered ahead of her, talking animatedly with Regina, telling her all about their adventure. The old family home was smaller than she remembered. The colors were different, showing evidence of a restoration over the years. Marline, the voluptuous woman, had told her that the home was modernized several times over the years, but the layout remained the same. Her old room was still there, in fact: Just as she had left it. The family had carefully preserved the place, opening it up as a museum during the summer months.

Regina had grabbed her hand, leading her inside after she hesitated at the door. Murmuring words of encouragement, she led Alice through the atrium and into the parlor. Alice blinked back the sudden moisture in her eyes when she didn't see her mother and father seated in the chairs.

"Come into the conservatory, Miss Alice!" Marcus called from the sun room. "Wait til you see who's here!"

Alice stepped into the conservatory, overcome for a moment by the view of the estate grounds through the glass windows. In the center, a small table was set for tea. Seated at the table were…

"Mulan!" Alice cried, "And BELLE!" She ran into the woman's arms as she rose from the seat to welcome her.

"Oh, Alice!" Belle murmured into the golden hair, holding her tightly, tears streaming down her face. Alice sobbed loudly into her shoulder, overwhelmed by her emotions.

"Alice, lovey," She said, pulling Alice off her shoulder and holding her at arm's length, looking into her eyes with a tearful look of stern disapproval. "Don't you ever, ever leave us like that again!"

Alice sniffled, smiling at the woman with bright, watery eyes. "Never." She hiccuped.

….

Alice sat with the two ladies, filling them in on what happened when Reginald came to save her, telling them about her adventures in the continent, leading up to her arrival here at the Family home. Afterwards, Alice listened intently to them speak about the state of Wonderland. Belle recounted the search for her, and Reginald's consultation of the Cheshire Cat, then the subsequent fallout from the looking-glass's damage. Alice gasped in horror at the news of Mary Anne's arrival and destruction. The pain of the Cheshire Cat in her dream rolled through her mind, lancing her heart.

"The Cheshire Cat appeared during my mission." Mulan said, explaining how they had arrived. "He told us that we were headed to certain death, looking for the broken Mirror, and he led us to the small door that led to the Rabbit Hole. Belle, who had masterminded the entire expedition, arrived shortly afterwards with some 'Drink me' potions and 'Eat me' cakes."

Belle turned towards the petite blonde, smiling. "We have your Hatter to thank for all this." She chuckled at Alice's flustered reaction, knowing her best friend's eagerness to hear about him. "If it wasn't for him, we would have never gotten here."

Alice drank her tea a bit too fast, face reddened. The ladies giggled at her.

"Is he alright?" Alice finally asked, searching Belle's face.

"He was nearly destroyed by your disappearance." Belle said, sadly. "We thought we were going to lose him for a while there."

Mulan set her cup down sadly, thinking of her own husband.

"But he is working hard now, preparing for the arrival of Mary Anne's army." Belle continued. "He never forgot you for a second and _never_ gave up hope that you'd be back."

Alice felt her heart warm, contrasting with the aching pain that bloomed at Belle's words. "Well, I mustn't disappoint him." She finally announced, standing up. "I have to get back to the Rabbit Hole immediately."

"We have a little time to wait." Belle said quietly. "The Cheshire Cat warned us that the Rabbit Hole would be sealed for a bit, while he gathered the strength to reopen it."

 _"_ _Mary Anne… she's killing me."_ Cheshire's pain echoed in her mind.

"Well I hope he doesn't wait too long." Alice said, her eyes focusing inward. "I don't think we have the luxury of time anymore."

Mulan pushed the teacup and saucer away. "It only gives us just enough time to prepare, I think." She said, the light of purpose in her dark, almond eyes.

"Prepare? How?" Alice asked, brow furrowed.

Mulan lifted a sheathed Chinese sword from the floor beside her and placed it on the table where it rested, contrasting dramatically among the delicate teacups and saucers. Alice's face paled.

"Yes." The graceful woman whispered. "Your swordsmanship. We start your training tonight."

Alice gulped. It had been years since her formal fencing days. She wasn't that great at it then, she would be an absolute disaster now. "I am…. A little rusty." She said, fidgeting in her seat.

"Well I'll do my best to change that." Mulan smiled serenely.

….

Reginald looked around him, noting the light ending in darkness beyond his sight. This wasn't like the other dreams. He looked about eagerly, sensing her nearby.

Her sharp cry of challenge spun him in place. Barely able to think fast enough, he lifted a sword to parry her overhead slash, the blades ringing loudly at impact. Alice stood before him, a long sword at the ready, grinning at him with a fire in her eyes.

He admired her battle dress, the scaled metal plates of her knee-length skirt and armored boots glowing in the mysterious light of the dream. Her breastplate was not form-fitting, much to his disappointment, and was v-shaped at the neck, where chainmail rose up her neck. Her arms were chain-mail draped, ending in silver gauntlets at her hands. Her hair was bound up on her head, a practical solution to being worn under a helmet during battle. She grinned at him, eyes sparkling merrily.

"Well now, Cricket," He drawled, admiringly. "I had no idea that you were into role-play."

Her arrested look and instant flush made him laugh out loud. She lunged forward and glared at him as he vaulted away easily.

"Did Lumiere train you to do that?" She bit back, mischievously. "You are as graceful as a ballerina, my dear Hatter."

He laughed again, refusing to rise to her bait. "Lovely Cricket, most of this is my own natural grace." He spun in place, arms wide. "As you discovered on the dance floor during the ball…" His eyes half-lidded and flirtatious.

Her face glowed at the memory. He took the opportunity to lunge back at the distracted woman, appreciating her quick reaction as she dodged and thrusted at his exposed flank, leaping into the close-combat range past his sword arm. A deft twist and his sword fell to protect himself, deflecting her well-aimed attack.

"My my, dear Alice," He said, still breathing easy, to Alice's frustration. "Not bad for a beginner."

Alice, in contrast, was beginning to pant.

With a shout, she dashed back in, her footwork graceful as she danced through his lazy attacks, determined to get past his defenses. He smiled indulgently at her not-entirely-unskilled attempts, intending to make her work for it.

Alice was just getting to enjoy herself when the Hatter called for a truce, waving a small white flag and grinning at her. She laughed breathlessly, eyes nearly closed, and sunk to the floor, gasping cool air into her burning lungs.

Reginald collapsed next to her on the floor, legs splayed out in front of him and arms back, propping him up. They laughed together for a few moments, the adrenaline coursing through them and leaving an exhilarating glow.

"That was Mulan's techniques, I hope?" He asked, eyeing her eagerly. He was elated when the woman nodded her head excitedly.

"Yes! Oh, Reginald! Belle and Mulan are here in this world! They came up the Rabbit Hole and found my relatives. Its so good to see them again!"

His heart hitched for a moment as she spoke about her family and how glad she was to see that her dear sister's children were so successful. "So, you have a family after all?" He asked, the words bittersweet. "You have a reason to stay?"

Her eyes caught his and held them. He held his breath.

"I am relieved that my family is there, but I have a reason to go back to Wonderland. A few of them, in fact. I am determined to get there, one way or another." She met his gaze with fire and tenacity burning behind her brilliant blue eyes.

He released the held breath, relieved. He mentally prayed that he was one of those reasons.

"Besides," she continued. "Wonderland is in trouble. I can't stay here and pretend that everything is okay." She looked out into the darkness, her beautiful mouth in a thin, resolute line.

She was breathtaking.

"Well don't you worry, my Cricket." He grinned. "We'll make it. Don't we always?"

She grinned back, her eyes softening. "We will, I know it." She looked away into the misty edge of the dream and her grin became wistful.

"Reginald," She whispered. "These aren't just dreams, are they? I'm really speaking to you right now, and I have been in every dream of you since I've left." She turned her eyes to him for confirmation.

"Yes," he said, meeting her gaze. "Dreams can be like that in Wonderland."

She leaned against him, safe in knowing that it was too late to go back to her prim and proper ways.

"I'm glad, you know. But if you ever mention it, I'm going to pretend I don't know what you're talking about."

He laughed, resting his head on hers where she leaned against him.

"Challenge accepted, Cricket. Now with that out of the way, what was it you wanted to tell me before?" He asked, smirking.

She paled a little, then blushed. "I- uh, I wanted to tell you…" She paused as he raised a hand, silencing her. He was looking into the darkness with a cold intensity, eyes moving back and forth.

"What is it?" She asked, feeling the icy touch of fear tap her heart.

"Cricket, I think we're under attack." He hissed, vaulting to his feet.

Alice clambered to her own feet, eyes wide. "Reginald," She cried, reaching for him.

The Hatter turned around and grabbed her by the shoulders, his hollow, icy eyes warming as he gazed upon her lovely, frightened face. "Alice, my beloved Cricket," he whispered. "I must go. Please, if anything happens to me, I want you to know..."

"No, Reginald, please!" She whispered waveringly. "You can tell me when I see you in Wonderland!" The naked hope in her eyes lanced his heart.

"I want you to know that I love you. No matter what, I have always loved you." He gasped, hanging on to the dream. "Never forget that, my Dearest."

The love and hope that lit her shimmering eyes burned into his soul. He felt the waking world tear him away from the dream, throwing him solidly into a room where, outside the open window, the fires of war were turning the sky red with flying embers.

….

Alice screamed, sitting up in her bed in a cold sweat. The sound of running footsteps grew louder and her bedroom door flew open: Belle, Mulan, and Regina's pale faces emerging.

"Alice," Belle asked, breathlessly. "What's wrong?"

Marcus charged in, frying pan held in his hands as he looked fiercely around the room. "Who's attacking you?" He cried menacingly "I'll beat them to a pulp!"

Alice sat in the bed, eyes wide and staring into nothing.

"Alice?" Mulan whispered, concern ringing in her voice. "Talk to us."

Alice's terrified, haunted eyes moved, unblinking towards them, glowing unsettlingly in the moonlight. Her lips moved without a sound.

"Alice!" Belle ran to the bed, clasping the deathly pale girl's face in both hands. "You're ice cold!" She exclaimed.

"Reginald…." Alice rasped. "under…attack…"

Belle's breath whistled as she sucked in air, horrified. She wrapped her arms around the woman, holding on fiercely as the body-wracking sobs took hold of the fair-haired girl. Marcus crawled up on the bed, hugging her other side, eyes bright with tears.

Moonlight spilled across the bed as it emerged from behind a cloud, bathing the room in a silver glow; as cold and lonely as the grief that filled the chamber.

….


End file.
